Federal agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Saturday, the second person to be fatally shot in the city during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown this month.
Local officials identified the man as 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a US citizen who lived in Minneapolis and worked as a nurse.
Videos have emerged showing a scuffle between Border Patrol agents and the man in the lead up to the shooting. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the agents fired in self-defence after Pretti, who they say had a handgun, resisted their attempts to disarm him.
Eyewitnesses, local officials and the victim’s family have challenged that account, pointing out he had a phone in his hand, not a weapon. His parents accused the administration of spreading “sickening lies” about what happened. “Please get the truth out about our son,” they added.
The incident, which came two weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an immigration agent, has led to further protests and renewed calls from local leaders for federal agents to leave the city.
Here is what we know so far.
The shooting occurred on Saturday morning near Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street in south Minneapolis at 9:05 local time (15:05 GMT).
Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander, said agents had been carrying out a “targeted” immigration enforcement operation when Pretti approached agents with a “9mm semi-automatic” handgun.
Bovino did not specify if Pretti was brandishing the gun, but said agents attempted to disarm him and he “violently resisted”. The commander said a Border Patrol officer then “fired defensive shots”.
Videos from the moments before the shooting show Pretti filming agents with his phone in the middle of the street. Whistling and shouting can be heard from bystanders in the background.
From one angle, an agent appears to push a woman. When the camera pans back to Pretti, he is seen with his arm around her. The agent then pushes back a second woman. At the same time, Pretti reaches his arm out and stands between her and the agent.
The agent then sprays a substance in his eyes. Pretti turns his face away and reaches one open hand up in the air. He appears to be clutching a phone in the other. No gun is visible.
Another video from a different angle shows the agent grabbing Pretti by the arm, before more agents get involved. Pretti is brought to the ground, with at least six agents on top of him. One agent can be seen striking at his head.
Another officer, who appears to approach the scuffle with empty hands, pulls back with what appears to be a gun in his hand. As he moves away toward a vehicle, a split second later another agent standing beside him opens fire.
The agents jump back from the man lying on the ground and the firing continues. A total of 10 gunshots are heard.
After the shooting, DHS shared a photo of a firearm on social media, which they said belonged to Pretti. The agency also said he had two magazines of ammunition and no ID.
Bovino told reporters it looked like a “situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement”. He did not provide any further evidence.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a news conference that Pretti was believed to be a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. His only previous interactions with law enforcement, as far as police are aware, were related to parking tickets.
In a sign of the tensions between federal and local authorities, the police chief also said the DHS had not provided his team with “any specific details” about the deadly incident itself.
Later, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was asked to clarify if Pretti had brandished a gun.
She said: “Individuals showed up to impede a law enforcement operation and assaulted our officers.
“They responded according to their training, and took action to defend the officer’s life and those of the public around him. And, I don’t know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, said he understood the risk of people trying to bear witness and document the actions of federal agents.
“Thank God, thank God, we have video because, according to DHS, these seven heroic guys took an onslaught of a battalion against them or something. It’s nonsense, people. It is nonsense, and it’s lies.”
Alex Pretti’s parents Michael and Susan have called for “the truth” to be told about their son, after he was shot dead in the confrontation with federal immigration officers.
“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” they said in a family statement, according to several US outlets. “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.”
They added that videos showed Pretti was not holding a gun when he was tackled by federal agents. Instead, they said, he was holding his phone with one hand and using the other to shield a woman who was being pepper-sprayed.
“Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital.
“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.
“Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
Originally published at BBC News
