A growing number of Republicans are calling for an investigation into the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Andrew Garbarino, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, is demanding that leaders of, among others, ICE (immigration enforcement) and Border Patrol be held accountable in a hearing.
“Credibility at stake”
A number of other Republican members of Congress, such as Texas Representative Michael McCaul in the House of Representatives and senators from the states of North Carolina, Louisiana, Maine and Alaska, are demanding more information.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is running for re-election and is being challenged by a Trump-backed candidate, called the shooting “incredibly disturbing.” He believes the credibility of federal authorities is at stake.
Trump and his administration said immediately after the shooting that the officer who fired the shot acted in self-defense. The president insists in an interview that Alex Pretti was carrying a “very dangerous weapon,” but video footage and analyses provide no support that he was about to use his weapon.
No gun threat seen
Pretti is initially seen carrying a cell phone and filming, before he is wrestled to the ground by a group of police officers. U.S. media outlets that examined the footage estimate that Pretti, who had a license to carry a gun, was carrying a gun on his hip and that one of the officers took the gun and removed it a few seconds before the first shot was fired.
There is speculation that a stray shot could have been fired, but this is also contradicted by analyses.
Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, who has been critical of Trump for some time, states that carrying a firearm is not a death sentence.
"It is a constitutionally protected, God-given right," he says.
High loyalty
Since Trump took office a year ago, Republican loyalty has been high. The shooting raises uncomfortable questions for a party that, among other things, is passionate about the right to bear arms.
Out in the states, Republican governors are heard demanding a reduction in the federal law enforcement operation in Minneapolis, which is followed by huge protests. The shooting is a tragedy according to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and unacceptable according to Vermont Governor Phil Scott.
Trump's staunch ally Senator Pete Ricketts calls for an investigation into the whole thing, but adds:
"My support for funding ICE remains unchanged."
Facts: Two fatal shootings in Minneapolis
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Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, was shot and killed on January 24. Authorities say he was shot in self-defense by a Border Patrol agent. However, according to U.S. media analysis of video footage of the incident, he was shot multiple times after being subdued and disarmed by several agents.
Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and poet, was shot dead by an ICE patrol on January 7 in her car. Authorities claim she tried to run over immigration officers, while critics say analyses of video footage support that she tried to swerve and leave the scene.
