Lucy Devine
President Donald Trump has been criticized over his comments following the death of anti-ICE protestor Alex Pretti.
The 37-year-old was fatally shot by a federal immigration officer in the street on Saturday (January 24) in Minneapolis, which comes just weeks after mom-of-three Renee Good was killed in her car in similar circumstances.
Following Pretti's death, there have been conflicting claims from officials, family members and eyewitnesses to the incident.
While the Department of Homeland Security has said that federal immigration agents fired shots in a move of self defence, claiming Pretti had a handgun at the time, this contrasts to some other accounts, with witnesses and family members claiming that Pretti had a phone in his hand, rather than a gun.
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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that Pretti had 'approached US border patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun' but would not say whether he had pulled the gun or not.
Meanwhile, US border patrol official Greg Bovino added: “The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a border patrol agent fired defensive shots.
“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Multiple videos of the incident have been circulating online, with The Guardian claiming that after reviewing one piece of footage, Pretti was holding a phone and not a gun.
The publication claim that videos do not show Pretti - who was legally licensed to have a gun - ever holding a firearm in his hand.
In the video reviewed, the Guardian explain that Pretti could be seen standing on the street holding up his phone, recording an officer.
In a separate video, Pretti is believed to have stepped in to defend a woman who was allegedly pushed to the ground by an officer.
It is at this point that Pretti is repeatedly sprayed with a chemical agent and tackled to the ground.
More witness videos then show agents surrounding Pretti as one officer allegedly reaches down before stepping back with what is believed to be a gun. Seconds later, shots are fired.
Following the ongoing outrage over the incident, social media users have criticised Trump who shared a post about what happened on Truth Social.
Posting a photo of a handgun, he wrote: "This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off?
"It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!"
He added: "Why does Ilhan Omar have $34 Million Dollars in her account? And where are the Tens of Billions of Dollars that have been stolen from the once Great State of Minnesota?
"We are there because of massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars missing, and Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State through the Democrats’ Open Border Policy.
"We want the money back, and we want it back, NOW. Those Fraudsters who stole the money are going to jail, where they belong!
"This is no different than a really big Bank Robbery. Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud.
"The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric! Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America. LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!
"12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!"
People have criticised Trump for the post, with one describing him as 'evil', while another said: "President Trump just posted this and it includes an allegation that the Governor of Minnesota and Mayor of Minneapolis are inciting an insurrection."
UNILAD has reached out to The White House for comment.