Minneapolis | The Trump administration on the defensive after the death of Alex Pretti

The opposition, the victim’s family and residents of Minneapolis pressed the Trump administration on Sunday to shed light on the shooting that occurred the day before, when Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, was shot by ICE agents. For its part, the White House clung to its version of self-defense, despite the overwhelming evidence provided by new video analyzes and additional testimonies.

Alex Pretti was shot dead Saturday during a protest against immigration enforcement (ICE) operations. Her death aggravates an already tense situation since that of Renée Good, an American woman shot and killed on January 7 by an ICE agent, also in Minneapolis.

On Sunday, many people gathered in the freezing cold in front of a memorial erected in tribute to Alex Pretti, at the scene of the shootings.

“I’m sad and angry,” said Lucy, a Minneapolis resident interviewed by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“But I’m not afraid to be there and I’m not afraid to continue the fight and stand up for what’s right,” she added.

In the center of this city of just over 400,000 inhabitants, nearly a thousand people gathered at midday to demonstrate in tribute to Alex Pretti and against the actions of federal law enforcement, noted an AFP photographer.

As it did after the death of Renée Good, the Trump government immediately placed the blame on Alex Pretti, the Minister of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, accusing him in particular of “terrorism”, because he was preparing, according to her, to endanger the agents with a firearm of which the authorities published an image. A version that several videos and witnesses of the event seem to contradict.

Disarmed at the time of the shooting

According to an analysis carried out by the Washington Postafter throwing Alex Pretti to the ground, one of the officers removed the weapon he was wearing on his belt before leaving the melee. Less than a second later, the first of 10 shots was fired. It is unclear from the video whether the other officers realized that Alex Pretti, who local authorities said had a gun permit, had been disarmed.

Alex Pretti’s family said they were devastated and “very angry” following the nurse’s death. “The sickening lies told by the administration about our son are reprehensible and repugnant,” she said in a statement. “Please make the truth known about our son. He was a good man. »

Several witnesses who were at the scene recounted what they saw in a sworn statement given in court this weekend. Again, their version of events leans more towards murder than self-defense on the part of ICE agents.

One person described seeing Alex Pretti approach, phone in hand, to film an altercation between a group of people and ICE agents, seconds before the shooting. The nurse then helped a woman to get up, shortly before an officer threw him to the ground. “I didn’t see him touch any officers,” she said. I didn’t see him brandish a weapon. »

Another witness, a doctor, said he came out of his house to help him, after watching the shooting from a neighboring apartment. The ICE agents were initially hesitant, asked him for proof of a medical license, then finally allowed the doctor to approach Alex Pretti after searching him. While the man was lying on the ground, “no one (agent) helped him,” the doctor stressed.

The affidavits were filed as part of a lawsuit backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, which accuses federal agents of repeatedly violating protesters’ rights during a wave of immigration crackdowns.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CBS on Sunday that after initially being prevented from accessing the scene of the fatal shooting, local police officers were now on site looking for witnesses and evidence for the investigation.

In a ruling Saturday evening, a federal judge also ordered the Trump administration to preserve evidence related to the death of Alex Pretti, preventing federal agents from “destroying or altering evidence” related to the case.

“A full, impartial and transparent investigation into his shooting death is non-negotiable,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement.

Obama and elected officials sound the alarm

Barack Obama called in a press release for a “resurgence” of Americans while fundamental values ​​are “attacked” in the United States. The former Democratic president also criticized the Trump administration, “eager to escalate the situation”.

Many opposition elected officials also expressed their anger at the government’s allegations.

The Democratic governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, called on Saturday that the investigation be led by local authorities, and not federal. “We cannot trust the federal state,” he said, before accusing ICE of sowing “chaos and violence.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, who faces an opponent backed by President Donald Trump in the primary, called for a “comprehensive joint federal and state investigation” into the shooting death of a Minneapolis resident by federal agents. “The credibility of ICE and DHS is at stake,” he said, calling the shooting death of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “incredibly disturbing.”

Just hours after the shooting, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump also held a private screening of Melaniaa new documentary on the first lady, sparking criticism from Democrats, who questioned the president’s priorities.

“Great job”

Despite the nurse’s death, senior border police official Greg Bovino maintained Sunday on CNN that “the victims are the agents” and praised their “great job.”

Donald Trump, for his part, accused local Democratic elected officials of being at the origin of the tensions.

“The mayor and governor are pushing for insurrection with their pompous, dangerous and arrogant rhetoric,” he accused on his Truth Social platform.

Calling Governor Walz “pathetic” and “weak,” the White House urged him to cooperate with federal law enforcement to “clear violent and criminal illegal immigrants.”

With the New York TimesAgence France-Presse, Washington Post and Associated Press