LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- "Alex Pretti was murdered," wrote Stephen King, U.S. bestselling novelist known for his horror and thriller fiction, in a post on X Saturday, hours after 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was killed by a group of federal agents in the U.S. major city of Minneapolis.

People attend a candlelight vigil held for Alex Pretti in San Francisco, California, the United States, on Jan. 25, 2026. A Minnesota resident was fatally shot by federal law enforcement agents on Saturday. (Photo: Xinhua)

As violence escalates in the capital of Minnesota state, especially following Pretti's death, celebrities across the country have begun speaking out, using public platforms to draw attention to what they describe as injustice and excessive violence by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

At the prestigious Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Hollywood stars used red-carpet appearances to condemn the fatal shooting, calling the incident part of "a disturbing pattern of government violence."

In Park City, Utah, where the festival was held, actress Olivia Wilde, while attending the premiere of the film "The Invite" said that Pretti's death marked the second protester killed by federal agents in just three weeks, describing the situation as "unfathomable."

"I can't believe that we're watching people get murdered in the street," Wilde told reporters. "These brave Americans who have stepped out to protest injustice are being killed. We cannot normalize it."

Video clips posted online showed that Pretti died after being pinned to the ground and shot multiple times by federal agents during demonstrations in Minneapolis. His death followed the January killing of Renee Good, also 37, a mother of three who was shot and killed during an encounter with ICE officers.

Wilde, wearing an "ICE OUT" pin, denounced violence against people exercising their right to protest as "un-American," saying, "We may have a government trying to make excuses for it and legitimize it, but Americans don't."

Fellow actress Natalie Portman, who was promoting the film "The Gallerist," became emotional while discussing the events.

"What is happening in our country is just obscene," Portman said. "What President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE are doing to our citizens and to undocumented people is outrageous and needs to end."

What shocked the celebrities was not only the death itself but also Washington's account of the tragedy.

Pretti's family said he joined demonstrations because he was deeply troubled by the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities. He worked as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital and lived just 3 km from where he was killed.

Trump administration officials said Pretti was shot after he "approached" Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, characterizing both Pretti and Good as "domestic terrorists" who attempted to attack law enforcement.

However, bystander videos circulating online appeared to show Pretti holding a phone, with no firearm visible. Witnesses and family members strongly rejected the government's claims, saying the footage showed Pretti shielding a woman who was being pepper-sprayed when agents tackled him.

"The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting," the Pretti family said in a statement on Sunday.

"He cared deeply about people," said Michael Pretti, Pretti's father. "He was upset by what was happening in Minneapolis and across the country. He believed it was wrong to grab people off the street and separate families, and he felt compelled to stand up."

At Sundance, Portman told Variety magazine that the country is facing a devastating moment.

"It's impossible not to talk about what's happening and the brutality of ICE," she said. "But there's also a beautiful community forming -- Americans are showing up for each other and fighting for their freedom."

Wilde echoed that sentiment while expressing anger and grief.

"I'm appalled and sickened," she said. "We can't accept this as the new normal. People are being murdered, and I refuse to normalize that violence. If we can support the movement to delegitimize this criminal organization, then we should."