Donald Trump’s administration is set to open an investigation into a fatal shooting in Minneapolis by immigration officers after new video footage of the altercation surfaced.The Justice Department confirmed it has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the death of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, killed on January 24 by border patrol officers.The Department of Homeland Security said the FBI would lead the investigation, following the emergence of new video footage of Mr Pretti in an earlier violent altercation with officers before his death.“We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened,” said Todd Blanche, DoJ Deputy Attorney General, who confirmed the development on Friday.
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Initial videos that emerged of the shooting showed officers tackling Mr Pretti to the ground, with one officer removing a handgun whilst another began firing shots into his back.Pretti had a state permit to legally carry a concealed firearm, and at no point did he appear to reach for it, sparking the controversy over the extent of force used against him.However, two other videos have since surfaced of an earlier altercation between Pretti and federal immigration officers 11 days before his death.The videos show Mr Pretti with a handgun in his waistband, yelling at federal vehicles and at one point appearing to spit before kicking out the taillight of one vehicle, leading to a struggle with officers.President Trump took to his Truth Social platform early Friday morning, suggesting that the earlier incident undercut the narrative that Mr Pretti was a peaceful protester when he was shot.Mr Trump described Mr Pretti as an “agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist,” displaying “hard and violent behaviour”.“It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control,” he added.“The ICE officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances.”LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Donald Trump’s border tsar won’t pull Ice out of Minneapolis but makes tacit admissionTwo Border Patrol agents involved in deadly Minneapolis shooting placed on leaveKeir Starmer says recent unrest and violence in Minneapolis ‘concerning’ following fatal shootingMinneapolis-based attorney Steve Schleicher, representing Alex Pretti’s parents, declared the family’s focus is on a “fair and impartial investigation that examines the facts around his murder,” and that the altercation in no way justified the shooting.The Justice Department failed to explain the reason behind the investigation, but claimed a similar probe is “not warranted” in the death of Renee Good, also shot by an Ice officer in Minneapolis on January 7.Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Secretary, first disclosed the shift to an FBI-led investigation, having previously claimed it would be her department heading it up.Spokesman Tricia McLaughlin confirmed Homeland Security Investigations will support the FBI in the ongoing investigation, alongside a separate internal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection.In the same interview, Ms Noem appeared to distance herself from statements she made shortly after the shooting, claiming Mr Pretti had brandished a handgun and aggressively approached officers.Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Minneapolis since the shooting of Mr Pretti and the fatal shooting of Renee Good just weeks prior.Both shootings came after President Donald Trump sent 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis area to patrol the streets in tactical gear.
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