President Trump said his administration is reviewing the fatal shooting of an armed ICU nurse who was protesting ICE in Minneapolis before Border Patrol agents shot him dead in the street.
“We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal in a five-minute phone call Sunday night, without providing his own ruling on whether the actions of the officer who shot him were justified.
“I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it,” Trump added during the call. “But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”
The slain anti-ICE protester, 37-year-old Alex Pretti, was carrying a pistol during the fatal confrontation with federal agents. He had a concealed carry permit, according to Minnesota officials.
Viral video of the struggle appears to show an agent removing the pistol from Pretti’s waistband as others hold him on the ground seconds before several shots can be heard. Pretti’s body goes limp, and he was later pronounced dead.
Trump on Sunday also said he would eventually draw back the thousands of federal agents his administration flooded into the Twin Cities.
“At some point we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done a phenomenal job,” he told the Journal.
He did not provide a timeline for their removal.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.