U.S. immigration agents shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis on Saturday, officials said, sparking fierce protests and condemnations from local leaders in the second such incident this month.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol agent fired in defense after a man who had a handgun resisted their attempts to disarm him.

Local leaders questioned that account, which Reuters could not verify and which videos circulated online appeared to contradict.

The man killed has been identified in media reports and on social media as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse who worked at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis.

In bystander videos verified by Reuters, Pretti can be seen standing in the street and filming agents with his cellphone.

The videos show one of the agents apparently deploying pepper spray at Pretti and other protesters. While Pretti attempts to block the spray and help other protesters, several agents wrestle him to the ground and begin striking him with blows to the head and body.

As they hold Pretti on the ground, one of the agents draws his weapon and multiple shots are fired. Pretti’s body can be seen in the street.

The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the neighborhood to confront the armed and masked agents, who deployed tear gas and flashbang grenades.

State officials were already at odds with President Donald Trump’s administration over the shooting of another U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents. Trump officials have said an immigration agent was acting in self-defense when he shot 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7. They have refused to allow local officials to participate in their investigation of the incident.

POLICE SAY MAN WAS LAWFUL GUN OWNER

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters the man killed on Saturday had attacked agents on an immigration raid, though she did not say whether he pulled out his weapon.

“He wasn’t there to peacefully protest. He was there to perpetuate violence,” Noem said at a news conference.

Among local leaders who sharply questioned that account was Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

“I’ve seen the video from several angles and it’s sickening,” Walz said. “The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation - the state will handle it.”

The head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Drew Evans, told reporters that federal agents blocked his team’s attempts to begin an investigation on Saturday.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the man who was killed was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record other than traffic violations.

As people protested the shooting, city police and state troopers arrived to manage the crowd. The situation appeared to have calmed after federal agents left the area, though protesters remained on the streets for hours afterward.

Local officials pleaded for restraint. “Please do not destroy our city,” O’Hara said.

Minneapolis officials, in a statement, said National Guard members would support local police at the scene of the shooting at the request of local officials to the governor.

The nearby Minneapolis Institute of Art said it had closed for the day due to safety concerns, and the National Basketball Association postponed a Minnesota Timberwolves game.

MAYOR, GOVERNOR CALL FOR OPERATION TO END

Walz and other local and state officials called for an immediate end to the Trump administration’s local immigration enforcement operations.

“How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a press conference.

Trump accused local elected officials of stirring up opposition.

“The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric,” the Republican president wrote on social media.

Vice President JD Vance, who visited the city on Thursday, accused local leaders of refusing to provide local police support to immigration agents. That drew a fierce response from Walz, who said the immigration crackdown has strained local police resources.

The shooting came one day after more than 10,000 people took to the frigid streets to protest the crackdown.

Before Saturday’s shooting, residents had already been angered by several incidents, including the killing of Good, the detention of a U.S. citizen who was taken from his home in his shorts, and the detention of school children, including a 5-year-old boy.

Source: Reuters 
--Agencies