Politics

U.S. immigration agents shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis on Saturday, according to officials. This incident has led to strong protests and criticism from local leaders, marking the second such event this month. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security stated that a Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after a man with a handgun resisted efforts to disarm him. Local leaders have raised doubts about this explanation, and videos circulating online seem to challenge it, a claim that Reuters could not confirm. The deceased has been named in reports and on social media as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis. Verified by Reuters, bystander videos show Pretti standing in the street, recording agents with his cellphone. The footage reveals one agent using pepper spray against Pretti and other protesters. While Pretti tries to shield himself from the spray and assist others, several agents tackle him to the ground, hitting him in the head and body. As they hold him down, one agent pulls out a weapon and fires multiple shots. Pretti’s body is seen lying in the street afterward. The shooting prompted hundreds of protesters to gather in the area, confronting the armed agents, who responded with tear gas and flashbang grenades. State officials are already in disagreement with President Donald Trump’s administration over another shooting involving federal immigration agents. Trump’s officials have stated that an agent acted in self-defense when he shot 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7. They have denied local officials the opportunity to take part in the investigation of that incident.