NEED TO KNOW
- A federal agent mocked a group of protesters who were speaking out against the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man, telling them, “Boo hoo,” the Associated Press reported
- The victim was identified by his parents as ICU nurse Alex Pretti
- After the man was shot dead, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey asked President Donald Trump to “put America first” and remove federal law enforcement officers from the city
Following the fatal shooting of a man in Minneapolis by federal agents on Saturday, Jan. 24, one officer reportedly mocked a crowd of protesters.
According to a report from the Associated Press, protesters gathered around federal agents near the scene of the shooting that left a 37-year-old man, later identified by his parents as ICU nurse Alex Pretti, dead.
Several people in the crowd yelled at the officers, using profanities, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home, the AP reported. One officer then reportedly mockingly told them “boo hoo”as he walked away.
Several protesters were detained, some shoved into cars by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Protesters eventually dragged garbage dumpsters into streets to block the paths of officers, while chanting, “ICE out now.”
Federal officers used batons and deployed flash bangs on the crowd, per AP.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara shared details about the victim and noted that information about what led up to the shooting was limited.
“Based on the information we have, this is a 37-year-old white male who is a Minneapolis resident, and we believe he is an American citizen,” O’Hara said at a press conference, per The Hill. “We have not been told any official reports of what has led up to the shooting.”
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told PEOPLE in a statement after the incident that “DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis” against an undocumented immigrant who was allegedly wanted for assault at around 9:00 a.m. local time on Saturday.
McLaughlin claimed that the man — whose identity has not been made public — “approached” U.S. Border Patrol officers while armed with a handgun and “violently resisted” as they attempted to disarm him, saying an agent then fired “defensive shots.”
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O’Hara said that the man was given first aid and transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, 44, spoke out about the fatal shooting — which comes just weeks after Renee Good was killed in the city by an ICE agent — at a press conference Saturday.
“How many more residents, how many more Americans, need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” the mayor questioned during his public address, per the Guardian. “How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values?”
ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty
Frey also directly appealed to President Donald Trump, asking him to “put America first” and remove federal law enforcement officers from the city.
“How many times must local and national leaders plead with you, Donald Trump, to end this operation and recognize that this is not creating safety in our city,” Frey said. “We have seen these kinds of operations in other places, in other countries, but not here in America, not in a way where a great American city is being invaded by its own federal government.”
“I’m done being told that our community members are responsible for the vitriol in our streets,” the mayor continued. “I’m done being told that our local elected officials are solely responsible for turning down the temperature.”
“Just yesterday, we saw 15,000 people peacefully protesting in the streets, speaking out, standing up for their neighbors. Not a single broken window, not a single injury,” Frey said in part. “So, to everyone listening, stand with Minneapolis. Stand up for America. Recognize that your children will ask you what side you were on.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also reacted to the violent incident in a post on X, sharing that he spoke with White House officials and advocated for Trump to pull ICE agents from the city.
“The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” Walz, 61, added.
