Minneapolis — Democrats demanded federal immigration officers leave Minnesota after a US Border Patrol agent killed a man in Minneapolis, sending hundreds of protesters onto the cold streets and raising tensions in an already shaking city. Another death by gunfire Weeks ago.
Family members identified the man who was killed as Alex Prettya 37-year-old ICU nurse, protested President Donald Trump’s campaign against immigration In his city. After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and demonstrators clashed with them Federal officerswho used batons and fired flash bangs.
The Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police at the direction of Gov. Tim Walz, officials said. Guard troops were sent to the site of the shooting and the federal building, where officers clashed with protesters daily.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said information about what led to the shooting was limited.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that the federal officers were conducting an operation and fired “defensive shots” after they were approached by a man carrying a gun who “violently resisted” them when they tried to disarm him.
In bystander videos of the shooting that emerged shortly after, Pretty is seen holding a phone in his hand but none of them appear to show him a visible weapon.
O’Hara said police believe he is a “legal gun owner with a permit to carry it.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a press conference that Peretti appeared to “obstruct a law enforcement operation.” She asked why he was armed but did not provide details about whether Pretty pulled the weapon or waved it at the officers.
Federal officials said the officer who shot him was an eight-year veteran of the Border Patrol.
The president commented on social media by attacking Walz and the mayor of Minneapolis.
He shared photos of the gun that immigration officials said was found, and said: “Why all this? Where are the local police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE officers?”
Trump, a Republican, said the Democratic governor and mayor are “inciting insurrection with their arrogant, dangerous, arrogant rhetoric.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was among several Democratic lawmakers who called on federal immigration authorities to leave Minnesota. She also urged Democrats to refuse to vote to fund US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying on social media: “We have a responsibility to protect Americans from tyranny.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer later said Democrats would not vote for a spending package that includes money for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Schumer’s statement raises the possibility that the government will have a partial shutdown on January 30 when funding runs out.
Pretty was shot just over a mile from where the ICE officer was killed 37-year-old Rene Goode on January 7, sparking widespread protests.
Pretty’s family issued a statement on Saturday evening saying they were “heartbroken but also very angry” and described him as a kind-hearted soul who wanted to make a difference in the world through his work as a nurse.
“The disgusting lies the administration is telling about our son are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex clearly did not have a gun when he was attacked by Trump’s murderous and cowardly thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand raised above his head as he tried to protect the woman who was pushed down by ICE while pepper spraying her,” the family’s statement read. “Please reveal the truth about our son. He was a good man.”
In a bystander video obtained by The Associated Press, protesters are heard blowing whistles and shouting profanities at federal officers on Nicollet Street.
An officer pushes a person wearing a brown jacket, skirt, and black socks and carrying a water bottle. This person extends his hand to a man, and the two connect and embrace. The man wearing a brown jacket and black hat appears to raise his phone toward the officer.
The same officer pushes the man in the chest and the two step back, still embracing.
The video moves to a different part of the street and then returns to the two people separated from each other. It changes focus again and then shows three officers surrounding the man.
He was soon surrounded by at least seven officers. One of them is lying on his back, and another appears to be holding a canister in his hand, hitting his chest. Several officers attempt to place the man’s arms behind his back while he appears to resist. As they pull his arms, his face is briefly shown. The officer carrying the device hit him near the head several times.
A shot rang out, but as officers surrounded the man, it was unclear where it came from. Many officers retreat. More shots are heard. The officers retreat, and the man lies motionless in the street.
The police chief appealed to the public and federal law enforcement authorities to remain calm.
“Our demand today is that federal agencies operating in our city do so with the same discipline, humanity and integrity that effective law enforcement requires in this country,” the president said. “We urge everyone to remain peaceful.”
Gregory Bovino The US Border Patrol agent, who led the administration’s migration drive to major cities, said the officer who shot the man received extensive training as a field safety officer and to use less-lethal force.
“This is just the latest attack on law enforcement. Across the country, the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security have been attacked and shot.”
Walz said he has no confidence in federal officials and that the state will lead the investigation into the shooting.
But Drew Evans, supervisor of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said during a news conference that federal officers barred his agency from the scene even after it obtained a signed warrant.
Demonstrations broke out in several cities across the country including New York, Washington and Los Angeles.
In Minneapolis, protesters gathered at the scene of the Minneapolis shooting despite dangerously cold weather – by the afternoon the worst of the severe cold snap was over, but the temperature remained -6 degrees (-21 °C).
An angry crowd gathered after the shooting and shouted obscenities at the federal officers, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home. One of the officers responded sarcastically as he walked away, telling them: “Boo hoo.” Agents elsewhere pushed a screaming protester into a car. The demonstrators dragged garbage bins from alleys to block the streets, and people chanted, “Get the ice out now” and “Watching the ice is not a crime.”
As darkness fell, hundreds of people mourned quietly in front of a growing memorial at the site of the shooting. Some carried signs reading “Justice for Alex Pretty.” Others chanted Preeti and Jude’s names. A nearby cake shop and clothing store remained open, providing protesters with a warm place as well as water, coffee and snacks.
Caleb Spike said he came from a nearby suburb to show his support and frustration. “It feels like something crazier happens every day,” he said. “What is happening in our society is wrong, it is disgusting, it is disgusting.”
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Santana reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell’Orto, Tim Sullivan and Sarah Reda in Minnesota, Jim Mustan in New York, Michael Catalini in New Jersey and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.