Minneapolis: Tensions are running high in the US after a 37-year-old man was shot and killed Saturday in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, marking the city's second fatal shooting of a US citizen by federal agents this month.
According to Anadolu Agency, the killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive care nurse, has intensified tensions, sparking street clashes between protesters and law enforcement. This incident follows the January 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, who was criticized by the Trump administration after being shot three times by an immigration enforcement agent.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Pretti approached officers carrying a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and "violently resisted" when they attempted to disarm him. "Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots," the department commented.
Local officials have disputed the federal account of the shooting, accusing Homeland Security of hastily crafting a narrative, similar to the aftermath of the Good shooting. Minneapolis' police chief noted that Pretti was a licensed handgun owner, and Minnesota law allows carrying a handgun with a valid permit.
Video footage, as reported by The New York Times, shows agents spraying Pretti with a substance and wrestling him to the ground before the shooting. The footage reportedly indicates that Pretti was holding a phone, not a gun, before agents tackled and shot him.
A witness claimed in a federal court filing that Pretti was among three people sprayed with pepper spray and was attempting to help a woman to her feet when agents tackled him, ABC News reported.
After the Good shooting, Trump administration officials characterized her as a 'domestic terrorist.' Pretti has faced similar vilification, with anti-immigrant Trump aide Stephen Miller branding him a 'domestic terrorist,' and Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official, stating: "This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."
A federal judge in Minnesota has granted a temporary restraining order preventing federal agencies from destroying or altering any evidence connected to the fatal shooting. This represents an initial legal win for state officials seeking to preserve evidence and oversee the investigation into the encounter involving federal officers.
The potential for a partial government shutdown at the end of January has increased after Senate Democrats announced they would block a funding package that includes money for the DHS in response to the incident. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the DHS funding bill for lacking necessary reforms to address ICE's actions.
Protesting the aggressive ICE crackdown, many Democrats have been calling for firm opposition to funding the agency. Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen have both stated opposition to the current DHS funding bill, urging for accountability and transparency.
In New York, over 1,000 demonstrators gathered at Union Square to protest the ICE crackdown. They held signs in honor of Pretti and chanted against ICE's actions, as reported by the New York Times.