Former U.S. president and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama released a searing statement on Sunday, in response to the second shooting death by immigration law enforcement officers in Minneapolis, saying federal officers appear to be using tactics “designed to intimidate, harass, provoke and endanger” Minnesota residents.
The couple said U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration officials “seem eager to escalate the situation,” adding, “This has to stop.”
The statement is the latest in a number of bipartisan criticisms of the Trump administration, as well as calls for accountability, amid the current climate in Minneapolis — where federal law enforcement clashed with protesters who poured into the frigid streets over the weekend, in a city already shaken by another shooting death less than three weeks earlier.
“Rather than trying to impose some semblance of discipline and accountability over the agents they’ve deployed, the President and current administration officials seem eager to escalate the situation, while offering public explanations for the shootings of Mr. [Alex] Pretti and Renee Good that aren’t informed by any serious investigation — and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence,” the Obamas wrote.
They called on “every American” to support and draw inspiration from the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other U.S. cities. “They are a timely reminder that ultimately it’s up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic freedoms, and hold our government accountable,” Obamas said.
WATCH | Breaking down witness videos appearing to show Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting:
Breaking down witness videos appearing to show Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting
Witness videos verified by CBC News appear to show several officers taking a man to ground before several shots are fired. The man is believed to be Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen whose killing has widened the divide between the Trump administration and Minnesota officials.
Federal officials say agents fired defensively on Saturday morning when Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, stepped into a confrontation between an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer and a woman on the street. Officials say Pretti was armed, but no bystander videos appear to show him holding a weapon. The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti had a permit to carry a gun.
Pretti’s family said they were “heartbroken but also very angry” at authorities, saying in a statement that he was a kindhearted soul who wanted to make a difference in the world.
A federal judge has already issued an order blocking U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to the shooting, after state and county officials sued.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the suit filed on Saturday is meant to preserve evidence collected by federal officials that state authorities have not yet been able to inspect. A court hearing is scheduled for Monday in federal court in the state capital of St. Paul.
“A full, impartial, and transparent investigation into his fatal shooting at the hands of DHS agents is non-negotiable,” Ellison said in a statement, referring to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Alex Pretti, 37, is shown in this undated photo provided by his family. The intensive care unit nurse was shot and killed by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday. (Michael Pretti/The Associated Press)
Spokespersons for the Justice Department and the DHS, which are named in the lawsuit, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Sunday.
Another federal judge previously ruled that officers participating in the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota cannot detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities, though an appeals court temporarily suspended that ruling days before Saturday ’s shooting.
The Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police at the direction of Gov. Tim Walz, officials said, with troops sent to both the shooting site of Pretti and a federal building where officers have squared off daily with demonstrators.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a news conference that Pretti showed up to “impede a law enforcement operation.” She questioned why he was armed but did not offer details about whether Pretti drew the weapon or brandished it at officers.
People in Minneapolis gather Saturday night during a vigil for Alex Pretti. (Adam Gray/The Associated Press)
But gun rights groups have noted it’s legal to carry firearms during protests.
“Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms — including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their First Amendment rights,” the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said in a statement. “These rights do not disappear when someone is lawfully armed.”
Former Congress member Marjorie Taylor Green, a former Trump ally, also criticized the administration on Sunday, saying legally carrying a firearm is not the same as brandishing it.
“You are all being incited into civil war, yet none of it solves any of the real problems that we all face, and tragically people are dying,” Greene wrote on social media.
Trump blames Democrats
The U.S. president weighed in on social media by lashing out at Walz and the Minneapolis mayor.
He shared images of the gun that immigration officials said was recovered and said: “What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?”
Trump said the Democratic governor and mayor are “are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was among several Democratic lawmakers demanding that federal immigration authorities leave Minnesota. She also urged Democrats to refuse to vote to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying via social media: “We have a responsibility to protect Americans from tyranny.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer later said that Democrats will not vote for a spending package that includes money for DHS, which oversees ICE. Schumer’s statement increases the possibility that the government could partially shut down Jan. 30 when funding runs out.
Pretti was shot just over a mile from where an ICE officer killed 37-year-old Renee Good on Jan. 7, sparking widespread protests.
People walk past a Minnesota National Guard vehicle blocking off a road near the scene of Saturday’s fatal shooting by a U.S. Border Patrol agent. (Adam Gray/The Associated Press)
Pretti’s family was furious at federal officials’ description of the shooting.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed,” the family statement said.
“Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
Video shows officers, man who was shot
When the Saturday confrontation began, bystander video shows protesters blowing whistles and shouting profanities at federal officers on a commercial street in south Minneapolis.
The videos show Pretti stepping in after an immigration officer shoves a woman. Pretti appears to be holding his phone toward the officer, but there’s no sign he’s holding a weapon.
The officer shoves Pretti in his chest, and pepper sprays him and the woman.
Soon, at least seven officers force Pretti to the ground. Several officers try to bring the man’s arms behind his back as he appears to resist. An officer holding a canister strikes him near his head several times.
A shot rings out, but with officers surrounding the man, it’s not clear where it came from. Multiple officers back off. More shots are heard. Officers back away, and the man lies motionless on the street.
WATCH | State, border officials stick to stories after Minneapolis shooting:
State, border officials stick to stories after Minneapolis shooting
A day after U.S. citizen Alex Pretti was killed Saturday in another shooting in Minneapolis involving federal officers, Governor Tim Walz called on U.S. President Donald Trump to pull the officers out of the city ‘before they kill another person.’ But U.S. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino said actions and choices can have ‘tragic consequences.’
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander leading Trump’s crackdown, was repeatedly pressed on CNN’s Sunday State of the Union for evidence that Pretti did anything illegal or assaulted law enforcement, as officials have claimed.
Bovino said it was “very evident” that Pretti was not following the the officers’ orders.
“It’s too bad the consequences had to be paid because he injected himself into that crime scene,” he said. “He made the decision.”
Walz said he had no confidence in federal officials and the state would lead the investigation into the shooting.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said during a news conference that federal officers blocked his agency from the scene even after it obtained a signed judicial warrant.
Protests continue
Demonstrations broke out in several cities across the country, including New York, Washington and Los Angeles.
In Minneapolis, protesters converged at the scene of the shooting despite dangerously cold weather with temperatures around –21 C.
Protesters dragged garbage bins from alleyways to block streets, and people chanted “ICE out now” and “Observing ICE is not a crime.” One officer responded mockingly as he walked away, telling them: “Boo hoo.”
Caleb Spike said he came from a nearby suburb to show his support and his frustration. “It feels like every day something crazier happens,” he said. “What’s happening in our community is wrong, it’s sickening, it’s disgusting.”
People gather for a vigil in Minneapolis on Saturday night for Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer earlier in the day. (Adam Gray/The Associated Press)
