It’s happened again, a federal agent shot and killed an American protester.

On January 24, Alex Pretti, who was an ICU nurse working with veterans, was a part of a group of protesters who were blocking federal agents from immigration enforcement. He was a legal gun owner and had a license to carry a firearm. He had his gun with him but videos show he was not brandishing it (it was holstered). He was holding his phone and recording. A scuffle started. Federal agents shoved a woman protester to the ground. Pretti helped the woman to get back up. A federal agent pepper-sprayed Pretti’s face. The scuffle escalated with more federal agents. Pretti was on the floor, swarmed, and then suddenly, two federal agents shot multiple bullets. Pretti was motionless. He was dead.

Immediately afterwards, federal / Trump administration officials issued statements saying Pretti was a dangerous person with a gun who tried to massacre law enforcement so he had to be killed in self-defense. They showed an image of Pretty’s firearm to emphasize the “threat.” They made it seem like an instance where a police officer has to shoot someone who is pointing a firearm at them.

However, videos from citizens who were filming contradicted the federal government’s statements. Pretti never brandished his firearm. When he was swarmed, his hands were on the floor. A federal agent, it seems like from the videos, disarmed Pretti by pulling his gun from his holster, and ran away. So, Pretti was unarmed when he was shot and killed by federal agents. Why was he shot if he didn’t point the gun at them? So there are conflicting versions.

I think maybe when the federal agent took Pretti’s gun, he shouted “gun!” and it caused others to react by shooting him? Or was it a group of agents who didn’t have good training and they were angry and reacted aggressively with their weapons? There are many questions, but the American people can see a contradiction between what the federal government is saying and what is seen in the videos. It doesn’t match up.

Minnesota Gov. Walz said the federal government’s statements are lies. Other Minnesota officials urged ICE agents to get out of the state, saying they are causing things to become more dangerous rather than bringing safety. They pointed to the recent shooting of Renee Good.

Another conundrum here is state vs federal investigations. State and local law enforcement said they can’t investigate because federal officials are taking over, but remember, federal officials already accused Pretti of being a terrorist. Who is in charge here? State vs federal?

Minnesota AG Ellison said he’s filed a lawsuit to preserve all evidence and a judge issued a temporary restraining order. So there may be an investigation, but my question here is where do we go from here? The federal government, will they admit wrongdoing? They’ve already called Pretti a terrorist. The state may be angry here. It’s a major conflict.

The situation in Minnesota feels out of control. It’s really bad right now, especially for those who are in Minnesota. The trauma of seeing two Americans be killed and the immigrants being separated from their families. That’s the recap for now. This will be a huge news topic this week, for sure.