Trump calls Alex Pretti a 'crazed insurrectionist' whose stock has gone 'way down'
The President's comments come after footage emerged of Mr Pretti 11 days before he was shot dead Donald Trump has branded Alex Pretti a "crazed insurrectionist" and says his stock has "gone way down" after footage showed him clashing with ICE agents 11 days before he was shot dead. The video appeared to show Mr Pretti being taken to the ground by officers during a community protest against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown a little more than a week before he was killed.He was earlier seen to kick out at an ICE vehicle as it drove away and is also said to have spat at one of the officers during the confrontation.Mr Pretti then appears to break free from the officers and remained on the scene while agents dispersed. Read more: 'He certainly shouldn't have been carrying a gun': Trump clashes with NRA over Alex Pretti’s concealed carryRead more: Kristi Noem 'fighting to keep job' after Alex Pretti death
Alex Pretti was fatally shot in Minneapolis.
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President Donald Trump called Mr Pretti a "crazed insurrectionist.".
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Reacting to the footage, the US President wrote on his Truth Social account: "Agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist, Alex Pretti’s stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer, and then crazily kicking in a new and very expensive government vehicle, so hard and violent, in fact, that the taillight broke off in pieces."The post added: "It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control. The ICE Officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."Mr Pretti was fatally shot in Minneapolis on Saturday, 11 days after the incident. He became the second US citizen to be killed in Minneapolis in the last three weeks after mother-of-three Renee Good was shot dead earlier this month.
Nurses and their supporters hold signs during a vigil for Alex Pretti outside VA NY Harbor Healthcare System on Thursday.
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Both killings have sparked mass protests in the city and led Trump to remove Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander, and face of his immigration enforcement operation, from the state, along with several agents.Border agents involved in the killing of Mr Pretti were also placed on administrative leave earlier this week. A Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson confirmed the suspension, adding that the decision is standard protocol after a shooting.
Gregory Bovino is set to leave Minneapolis following the shooting.
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Trump had initially attempted to deescalate tensions in Minneapolis and described the recent deaths as "terrible," before the latest Truth Social comments made on Friday.Barack Obama was one of the many public figures to comment on Mr Pretti's death, calling the incident a "heartbreaking tragedy."The former President said in a statement: "It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault."Meanwhile Bill Clinton wrote on X: "Over the course of a lifetime, we face only a few moments where the decisions we make and the actions we take will shape our history for years to come. This is one of them."
