Donald Trump has made a bold claim following the fatal shooting of intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
It was confirmed on Saturday (23 January), that the 37-year-old was at an an anti-ICE protest, where he was apprehended by officials and pinned to the floor before being shot at least 10 times in five seconds. The horrific news was broken by Minnesota governor Tim Walz, just weeks after the death of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of ICE agents.
Governor Waltz called the 'horrific shooting' by federal agents 'sickening', calling for Trump to 'end this operation' and to order for these 'violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota'.
The victim was a US citizen and a lawful gun owner, as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey asked 'how many more Americans need to die' for the President's extreme immigration crackdowns to end.
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This latest fatal incident circulated online, with Pretti seen on the ground when federal agents unloaded their firearms on him, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed he was carrying a semi-automatic handgun. They claimed he had two magazines of ammunition, and implied he 'wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement'.
Videos of the incident don't seem to suggest that he was ready to shoot at them, as he can be seen with a phone in his hand instead of a weapon. Pretti was filming Border Patrol agents on a street in Minneapolis when he was shot.
It is uncertain where the first shot came from, as politicians and officials have quickly deflected blame onto Pretti, who had a legal gun license.
Trump even shared an image of the alleged firearm online, saying: "This is the gunman's gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go.
"What is that all about?"
Now, the President has declined to comment on whether the officers responsible for Pretti's death had acted appropriately, instead revealing that the administration were reviewing 'everything'.
Speaking in a five-minute interview with The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, the President didn't answer when asked if the responsible officer did the right thing.
He replied: “We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.”
Trump criticised Pretti for carrying a gun during protests, stating: “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it,
“But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”
However, the 79-year-old claimed that immigration officials may leave Minneapolis soon, saying: “At some point we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done a phenomenal job.”
He didn't give a time frame to the publication when asked, instead speaking about Minnesota: “We’ll leave a different group of people there for the financial fraud,” in reference to the welfare fraud scandal ongoing in the state.
Trump claimed: “It’s the biggest fraud anyone has seen,” before adding: “We actually think California is going to be much bigger.”
The President doubled down on Pretti's firearm, claiming it was 'a dangerous and unpredictable gun', claiming that 'it’s a gun that goes off when people don’t know it'.
Armed anti-ICE protestors have since taken to the streets in the city following the shooting.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Joshua Nair