Reactions have been strong after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot dead by federal border agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, during an ICE operation.
As in the case of mother of three Renee Nicole Good, analyses of images and videos from the incident contradict information from federal authorities.
The US Department of Homeland Security says the shots were fired in self-defense against an armed Pretti, who was violently resisting. Secretary of State Kristi Noem accuses Pretti of domestic terrorism, and the White House has posted a picture of what it claims is the weapon on Twitter .
According to The New York Times (NYT), which reviewed clips from the seconds before the shooting, Pretti was not holding a weapon in his hand - but a cell phone.
Supposed to have taken a weapon
The fatal shooting occurred at about 9 a.m. local time on Saturday. According to videos, a federal agent pushed protesters away from the street during an ICE operation. In the clips, Alex Pretti is seen filming with his cellphone and trying to intervene as the agent pushes a woman to the ground.
Pretti is pepper sprayed and surrounded by seven officers. He is then knocked to the ground, where he is held and punched several times. Just before the shooting, one of the officers is heard shouting, "He has a gun."
A CNN analysis shows what appears to be a police officer taking a gun from Pretti's waistband and moving away from the commotion. Just over a second later, another officer points his gun at Pretti's back and fires a shot.
It is not clear whether the police have time to inform the others that he has taken the gun before Pretti is shot.
At least ten shots
According to several American media outlets, it is also not clear who fired the first shot, but two of the agents reportedly shot Pretti several times while he lay motionless on the ground.
At least ten shots appear to have been fired within five seconds, reports NYT.
Alex Pretti, who worked as an IVF nurse, had no previous convictions, had a weapons license and, according to Minnesota law, the right to carry a weapon in public.
The shooting is the third in three weeks in Minneapolis involving ICE and has led to major protests in the city.
