Democrats and protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis after Pretty's killing

After the murder of Alex Preti, an angry crowd gathered, and demonstrators clashed with federal police, who used batons and stun grenades.

7025 views 0 comment(s)
From the protest in Minneapolis, Photo: Reuters
From the protest in Minneapolis, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Democrats have asked federal immigration agents to leave the US state of Minnesota following an incident in which a US Border Patrol agent shot and killed a man in Minneapolis.

This led hundreds of citizens to take to the streets in freezing weather, and tensions rose in a city that had already been shaken by the murder of a protester a few weeks ago.

Minneapolis authorities earlier announced that 37-year-old American Alex Jeffrey Pretty was shot and killed in the city on Saturday by federal agents.

The slain Alex Preti was a medical worker in the intensive care unit at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, and his family said he was extremely upset by President Donald Trump's immigration measures in his city.

After the murder, an angry crowd gathered, and the demonstrators clashed with the federal police, who used batons and stun grenades.

The Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police at the direction of Minnesota Governor Tim Volk, officials said. National Guard troops were sent to the scene where the man was killed, as well as to the federal building, where officers have clashed with protesters daily.

Information about what led to the shooting is limited, Police Chief Brian O'Hara said. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that federal officers were conducting an operation and fired "defensive shots" when a man with a gun approached them and "violently resisted" them as they tried to disarm him.

Citizens' footage shows Preti with a phone in his hand, but he does not appear to have a weapon.

O'Hara said police believe he had authorization to carry a gun.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told a news conference that Preti showed up to disrupt a police operation. She asked why he was armed, but did not provide details on whether Preti pulled out a weapon and brandished it at federal officers.

The officer who shot him is a seasoned veteran who has worked with the Border Patrol for eight years, federal officials said.

US President Donald Trump has attacked Governor Volk and the mayor of Minneapolis on social media.

He wondered where the police were and why they weren't protecting the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

Trump, who is a Republican, said the Democratic governor and mayor were "fomenting rebellion with their dangerous and arrogant rhetoric."

Governor Volz said he did not trust federal officials and that the US state would conduct an investigation.

Demonstrations broke out in several cities across the country, including New York, Washington, and Los Angeles.

In Minneapolis, protesters gathered at the scene of a shooting despite the bitterly cold weather. An angry crowd gathered after the shooting and insulted federal officers, calling them cowards and urging them to leave.

Elsewhere, agents arrested one protester.

Protesters placed trash cans to block streets and chanted, "ICE out, now."

As night fell, hundreds of people peacefully paid their respects at the scene of the shooting. Some carried banners reading "Justice for Alex Pretty," while others chanted his name along with that of Renee Goode, who had been killed earlier.

All of this is happening three weeks after the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old American woman, who was killed by an ICE agent in the same city.

Bonus video: