Networks shifted from the emerging winter mega storm to another deadly shooting in Minneapolis, where federal agents killed a 37-year-old man.
As was the case with the fatal shooting of Renee Good earlier this month, bystander video quickly emerged on social media, pitting the images up against the version of events relayed by the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS said that the man “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.”
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.”
DHS also said that the man “had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” DHS also included the photo of a weapon.
Some law enforcement analysts questioned that narrative as additional video emerged of the shooting, just as images captured of Good’s killing contradicted the Trump administration’s characterization of her as a “domestic terrorist.”
According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, they believe that the man was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.
The Minnesota StarTribune identified the man as Alex Jeffrey Pretti.
The New York Times did a video analysis of one video, showing a group of agents scuffling with the man, eventually bringing him to his knees. One agent fired at the man at close range and continued firing, per the Times analysis.
Per the Times analysis, “A third agent unholsters his weapon. Both agents appear to fire additional shots at the man as he lies motionless on the ground.” In total, at least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds.” The Times noted that the video footage showed the man holding a phone, not a gun, in his hand when federal agents forced him to the ground.
MS Now aired a more comprehensive video that emerged later and was posted to DropSite News.
Two of its commentators, Rob D’Amico and Tom Manger, weighed in with questions about the DHS statements about what happened.
“In none of this video that you see was his weapon out,” D’Amico said.
“If you can’t believe the statements that are being put out, it is just very troubling, and that’s why you don’t release statements until you have a somewhat investigation that people go through. But they are just quick to come out and say something to the narrative to get people on the defensive that he came at them with the weapon.”
Manger, the former chief of Capitol Police, said that, in watching the video, he heard someone holler “gun.” “Typically, if law enforcement sees someone with a gun, somebody will holler ‘gun, gun,’ to let the other officers know.” What is unclear, Manger said, is whether the man grabbed the gun or whether officers just saw the gun.
“We don’t know. You can’t tell by the video, but it’s certainly more information about the fact that this notion that he walked up to them brandishing a gun is not, certainly now what I saw.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called on Donald Trump to remove the federal presence of ICE and border patrol officers from the state.
“Thank God we have video,” Walz told reporters, “because according to DHS, these seven heroic guys, it took an onslaught of a battalion against them or something. It’s nonsense, people. It’s nonsense and it’s lies.”
Walz said that he was “rejecting the rush to judgment within 15 minutes of this, which they did last time. That’s why you need to have a fair investigation, and that’s why a video can show one thing, but what happened beforehand? But they already will slander this individual. They already have made this the case.”
