Minnesota Mourns Alex Pretti

Geoff Bennett:

Welcome to the “News Hour.”

President Trump sent his border czar to Minneapolis today and shifted his response a bit following bipartisan backlash to the fatal shooting of a second U.S. citizen by federal agents this weekend.

Amna Nawaz:

Both the president and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signaled some progress in the Twin Cities. Border Patrol senior official Greg Bovino and some agents are now reportedly leaving the state.

But anger over the conduct of ICE and the Border Patrol is high. And a federal judge is deciding whether the immigration crackdown can continue.

Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro begins our coverage with the latest from Minneapolis.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

On a frigid morning in south Minneapolis, another makeshift memorial grew larger today for another U.S. citizen killed at the hands of federal agents.

For residents showing up to honor Alex Pretti, a mixture of sadness, anger and exhaustion. Rose Zelee lives just steps from the site of Saturday’s shooting.

Rose Zelee, Minneapolis Resident:

I was, like, really right there at the end of the corner. And I was walking towards this way. And I heard the gunshots. And I just started running. I just hope we can all get together and have an understanding and stop this. This is very terrifying. And it’s not good. I pray every day for us all.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

Emily and Brandon Del Bel drove in from neighboring St. Louis Park.

Emily Del Bel, St. Louis Park Resident:

We woke up, we got our kid to school, and we were paralyzed. Don’t know how to take the grief that we’re dealing with right now.

Brandon Del Bel, St. Louis Park Resident:

I drove into work, got in there, and I just — I realized I couldn’t be there today. Just nothing feels real. So I need to prove to my body that this is real. So I need to come here, even though it’s really hard.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

But by mid-morning came the first hint of some conciliation. President Trump in a TRUTH Social post wrote: “Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call and we actually seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”

The president also said he was sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota. In a statement shortly after, Governor Walz said he had a — quote — “productive call” with President Trump, writing: “The president agreed that he would talk to his Department of Homeland Security about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation.”

He also said the president agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and to coordinate with state officials.

In an interview with Minnesota public radio this afternoon, Walz was asked about reports that Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino would be leaving the state tomorrow.

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN):

That is really good news and I will acknowledge it here. That is the president following through apparently with our conversation.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

It comes after Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed by ICE agents during a scuffle that was captured on video by bystanders.

(Gunshots)

(Screaming)

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

The Department of Homeland Security officials were quick to say that Pretti had been — quote — “brandishing a firearm.”

Kristi Noem, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary:

This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

And hours after the killing, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called Pretti — quote — “a would-be assassin in a social media post.”

But numerous bystander videos from the encounter paint a different picture. A frame-by-frame analysis of the video by The New York Times and several other news organizations shows Pretti holding a phone, not a gun. And they show agents removing the gun from his hip one second before the first shots were fired.

Rob Doar, General Counsel, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus:

You don’t have to choose between your first and Second Amendment rights.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

Rob Doar with the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, the state’s largest Second Amendment advocacy group. He says there’s no evidence Pretti was trying to shoot agents.

Rob Doar:

I’m just very disheartened by the inaccurate messaging that’s being put out. And I think it’s being done for two reasons, one to give the public the impression that Mr. Pretti was in violation of the law, so, therefore, the use of force was justified against him, and to try to discourage people from exercising the rights that they’re entitled to.

You have a right to carry a firearm in Minnesota if you have a permit, which Mr. Pretti did., You have a right to carry openly or concealed. You have a right to carry backup in magazines and you have a right to carry at a protest.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

It’s all sparked a political firestorm, with numerous Republican politicians criticizing the ongoing ICE and Border Patrol operation in Minnesota now over a month old.

In a social media post over the weekend, Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy described the shooting as — quote — “disturbing” and called for a full joint federal and state investigation. Meanwhile, Minnesota officials were in court on two fronts today. One case aims to preserve evidence in Alex Pretti’s shooting after state investigators were shut out from examining the scene.

The second lawsuit looks to end the so-called Operation Metro Surge altogether. Still, tensions remain high in the Twin Cities, one demonstration boiled over last night, with people vandalizing the hotel where they believed ICE agents were staying.

The state’s Department of Public Safety said officials were encircling the group for arrests when federal agents showed up unannounced and deployed chemical irritants, all this as friends and colleagues mourn and remember Alex Pretti.

Dimitri Drekonja is an infectious disease physician who worked with Pretti both in clinical and research settings.

Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, Colleague of Alex Pretti: He was just a really fun guy, did his work hard, made sure that he was covering everything that he could do and also trying to see what else he could do that would free up space for other people to do their jobs. He was just a helpful, friendly, engaging guy.

So, to hear him described as a domestic terrorist is — it boggles the mind and it is contrary to everything that I have known for eight years.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

And while Pretti’s final moments are splashed across the front pages, Dr. Drekonja points to other photos as a truer reflection of who he was.

Dr. Dimitri Drekonja:

The image of him holding his mountain bike, the image of him smiling in his official portrait, you will notice that every one of those images that is out there, he has a smile. And that is the person that he was. And that’s how I hope people remember him.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

For the PBS “News Hour,” I’m Fred de Sam Lazaro in Minneapolis.