Family members of the 37-year-old man killed yesterday in Minneapolis by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were able to identify him, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
Alex Pretty was an emergency room worker who opposed the repressive measures against immigration implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump in the city. After the shooting, many angry protesters clashed with federal officers who used batons and flashbang grenades.
The Minnesota National Guard acted in cooperation with local police on the orders of Governor Tim Walz, authorities said. Guard soldiers were deployed at the scene of the shooting and in front of the federal building, where clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers occur daily.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said federal officers were responding to a "self-defense" incident after a man with a gun approached them and "vigorously resisted" officers' attempts to disarm him.
Video footage taken by witnesses shortly after the shooting shows Preity standing with a phone in his hand, but no weapon is visible on him.
Local police chief Brian O'Hara said Preity had a valid gun permit. He said information about the motive for the shooting was still limited.
Alex Pretty was shot just over a mile from where 37-year-old Renee Goode was killed on January 7, again by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, sparking widespread protests.
Pretty's family released a statement last night saying they were "devastated but also angry" by the killing of "this good-natured man who wanted to make the world a better place through his work as a healthcare worker."
"The disgusting lies that have been spread about our son deserve to be denounced. Alex was clearly not holding a gun when he was attacked by Trump's cowardly ICE assassins. He holds a phone in his right hand, his free left arm raised above his head as he tried to protect a woman who was knocked to the ground and pepper-sprayed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Please tell the truth about our son. He was a good man," Priti's family said.
The police chief appealed to both the public and federal law enforcement agencies to remain calm. "Our appeal today to the federal agencies operating in our city is to carry out their duties with the same discipline, humanity and integrity that is required of all law enforcement agencies in the country. We urge everyone to remain calm," Brian O'Hara stressed.