Federal Judge Orders DHS To Preserve Evidence in Killing of Minnesota Man by ICE Agents as Protests Expand

A federal judge is barring the Trump administration from destroying, altering, or withholding evidence related to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by ICE authorities, after a scene captured on video Saturday sent shockwaves across the nation over the amount of force being used to restrain protesters. U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud issued an emergency temporary restraining order late Saturday related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The decision comes in a lawsuit filed by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension over which agency has jurisdiction over the investigation.A hearing will be held Monday on the temporary restraining order to stop federal officials from denying state authorities the opportunity to inspect items taken from the scene of the shooting.“Our office has jurisdiction to review this matter for potential criminal conduct by the federal agents involved and we will do so,” the Hennepin County Attorney, Mary Moriarty, said in a statement suggesting federal officials may tamper with the evidence.The incident — the second shooting at Minneapolis by ICE enforcement officers this month — triggered major protests in the city Saturday night. Federal officials are bracing for protests to expand to other cities as congressional opponents threaten to cut funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which has jurisdiction of immigration and customs enforcement officers. Federal officials claim in ICE officials’ defense that the man killed, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Veterans Affairs nurse and legal gun owner, was carrying a Sig Sauer 9mm with multiple magazines when they used the force that took his life. Pretti reportedly had been documenting ICE agents and got caught up in the police action when he went to assist a woman who was shoved to the ground forcefully by an ICE agent. A federal spokesman said that Pretti put himself in a potentially lethal situation when he decided to “inject himself into a law enforcement operation.” Pretti was trying to “assault, delay and obstruct law enforcement,” the Border Patrol’s commander-at-large, Gregory Bovino, told CNN Sunday morning.“What’s not being said here is that Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted law enforcement action against a violent, illegal alien that was nearby,” he added, warning that any attempt to draw conclusions about the incident before the evidence was investigated is an attempt at “socially engineering” the topic to elicit further riots.Mr. Bovino has been accused by a federal judge of misrepresenting the circumstances of other, similar incidents involving ICE officers in Illinois. Pretti’s parents issued an emotional statement Saturday night, calling their son a “hero.”“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” said Michael and Susan Pretti. “Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.”Mr. and Mrs. Pretti said the video shows he was holding his phone in his right hand while his left hand was raised above his head. “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.”The incident, while leading to more protests over immigration enforcement, could impact Homeland Security funding. Democratic senators now debating appropriations say they will try to withhold ICE money until federal authorities put limits on how agents can operate in Minneapolis and other cities.“Alex Pretti was trying to help a woman off the ground. Then immigration agents tackled, shot, and killed him,” Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who has previously tussled with the Trump administration over the use of federal agents but has not publicly stated how he would vote, wrote on X. “It’s time for them to get the hell out of MN.”Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican and doctor, said late Saturday that the events in Minneapolis were “incredibly disturbing” and the “credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake.” “There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth,” he said in a statement on X.

Federal Judge Orders DHS To Preserve Evidence in Killing of Minnesota Man by ICE Agents as Protests Expand

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