LEILA FADEL, HOST:
It was another tragic weekend in Minneapolis. On Saturday morning, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, was killed by a federal agent.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
It is the second killing of a Minneapolis resident by a federal agent since the Trump administration launched its immigration crackdown in the city more than a month ago. Pretti's killing sparked a new wave of protests in the city and elsewhere in the U.S. And this morning, President Trump said he's sending his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minnesota later today. In a few minutes, we'll speak with the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. First, though, let's get the latest information.
FADEL: NPR's Jasmine Garsd has been bringing us constant updates on all of this, and she joins us now from Minneapolis. Good morning, Jasmine.
JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE: Good morning.
FADEL: So what do we know about Alex Pretti's killing?
GARSD: Well, over the weekend, the Trump administration repeatedly tried to paint Pretti, who is a VA nurse and U.S. citizen, as a domestic terrorist. Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino said Pretti had a gun and was intent on massacring law enforcement. White House senior adviser Stephen Miller went so far as to call Pretti a, quote, "would-be assassin," but multiple videos contradict that. There is no evidence in the videos - which, by the way, NPR has verified - that Pretti was ever brandishing a gun in his hand. What we do see is Pretti holding a phone in his hand and then at least six masked federal officers tackling him, beating him, spraying him in the face with a chemical agent. Then they pin him down on the ground. Then one agent appears to pull a gun from Pretti's waistband before agents shoot him. We counted 10 rounds fired.
This is the second fatal shooting here by federal immigration agents this month. Renee Macklin Good, also 37 years old, was killed January 7. Here's Minnesota U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison, a Democrat, over the weekend.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KELLY MORRISON: Once again, DHS has come out with a predetermined narrative that contradicts everything we saw with our own eyes. Two 37-year-old Minnesotans are now dead - a poet and a nurse. For what?
FADEL: Now, President Trump has said the administration is reviewing the incident, but there are serious concerns about the investigation's independence. Just walk us through why.
GARSD: Much like with the Renee Macklin Good investigation, state officials say they are being shut out. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said DHS has blocked its investigators from the scene. They've gone to court to fight that. A federal judge has granted them a temporary restraining order, ruling that no Homeland Security officer can destroy or alter evidence related to Pretti's death.
FADEL: Now, this second killing has prompted new protests throughout Minneapolis. It's also prompted reaction throughout other parts of the country this weekend. You were at many of the protests in the city there. What did you see?
GARSD: The Trump administration repeatedly called the protesters anarchists and insurrectionists, and this is simply not the case. I was there. These protests have been massive and overwhelmingly peaceful. I'll give you an example. The morning Alex Pretti was shot dead, neighbors immediately took to the street. They were met with tear gas. I met one protester as he was washing it out of his eyes. He asked for anonymity out of fear of retaliation from ICE.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: I mean, people are angry, but it's peaceful. We're shouting. I mean, people aren't saying the nicest things, but what do you expect? Like, it's basically a goon squad going after our residents of this beautiful city.
GARSD: And, Leila, I would describe the mood in Minneapolis right now as grief, anger, and there's a sense that this city is at a breaking point.
FADEL: That's NPR's Jasmine Garsd in Minneapolis. Thank you, Jasmine.
GARSD: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
