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Two U.S. immigration officers have been placed on administrative leave following a tragic incident in the Midwest, officials confirmed. This decision comes after a protester was fatally shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The victim, identified as Alex Pretti, was an intensive care unit nurse. He lost his life on Sunday morning when he approached federal officers who were reportedly focusing on a woman in the area.
Pretti’s death has sparked widespread outrage across the United States, especially as it follows the recent shooting of a female demonstrator by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent earlier in the month.
A representative from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency informed 9news.com.au on Wednesday that the agents involved in the Minneapolis shooting have been on administrative leave since Saturday.
“The two officers involved are on administrative leave and have been since Saturday,” the spokesperson stated.
“This is standard protocol.”
Meanwhile, new details about the fatal shooting have been received by US legislators.
Two federal officers fired shots during the encounter that killed Pretti over the weekend in Minneapolis, a CBP official told the US Congress in a notice sent on Tuesday.
Officers tried to take Pretti into custody and he resisted, leading to a struggle, according to a notification to Congress obtained by The Associated Press.
During the struggle, a Border Patrol agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times, the official said.
A Border Patrol officer and a CBP officer each fired Glock pistols, the notice said.
Investigators from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the analysis based on a review of body-worn camera footage and agency documentation, the notice said. The law requires the agency to inform relevant congressional committees about deaths in CBP custody within 72 hours.
Separately, a man was arrested after he sprayed an unknown liquid at US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar while she was speaking at a town hall meeting in Minneapolis.
The Democrat politician had just called for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign when she was sprayed.
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