Donald Trump strongly implied that Alex Pretti, the second fatal ICE shooting victim in a month, made his bed by protesting with a "fully loaded" gun on him.
Speaking to Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey on Sunday, January 25, one day after the ICU nurse, 37, was shot dead by a federal Border Patrol agent in Minnesota, the president side-stepped Dawsey's question of whether the officer was right and blamed Pretti for carrying a firearm."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," Trump declared. "That doesn't play good either."
'I Didn't See Him With a Gun'
Source: megaAlex Pretti was carrying a gun he had a permit for.
However, Pretti was lawfully permitted to carry the gun in Minneapolis, Minn. Moreover, video footage showed agents appearing to find and remove the gun from his waist during the altercation that led to his death. A woman who filmed the shooting said in a sworn testimony: "It didn't look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn't see him with a gun.""They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times ... I don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him ..."
Alex Pretti Allegedly Only Held a Camera
Source: mega'They shot him so many times,' an eyewitness recounted.
She continued, "The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground."Meanwhile, Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino told CNN on Sunday, "The suspect did bring a weapon, a loaded nine-millimeter high-capacity handgun, to a riot." He also claimed Pretti "was in the scene actively impeding and assaulting law enforcement," labeing the ICE agents "the victims."
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Kristi Noem Alleges Alex Pretti 'Attacked' ICE Agents
Source: megaDHS Secretary Kristi Noem declared that Alex Pretti 'attacked' ICE agents.
Similarly, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleged Pretti "attacked those officers, had a weapon on him, and multiple dozens of rounds of ammunition, wishing to inflict harm on these officers coming, brandishing like that and impeding their work that they were doing."Nonetheless, Noem, 54, also said "every video will be analyzed, everything will be looked at" as part of the investigation into Pretti's death. Donald Trump Claims Officials Are 'Reviewing Everything' About Shooting
Source: megaDonald Trump said his administration is 'reviewing everything' about the shooting.
Trump, 79, reiterated Noem's statement on Sunday, claiming his administration is "reviewing everything" with respect to the shooting, while also applauding the agents for the "phenomenal job" they've done.
Pretti's death comes after a 37-year-old Minneapolis woman Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent on January 7. When questioned how long ICE will remain in Minnesota, Trump said, "we will leave," but didn't clarify when.