Widely circulated video of Pretti’s killing by federal agents undercut earlier assertions of him being a gunman
White House officials sought to rapidly distance Donald Trump and top officials from their initial portrayals of the man fatally shot by federal officials in Minnesota as a gunman, as they faced a deepening backlash after video footage was widely seen to undercut their assertions.
The move came as Trump advisers appeared to realize that the caustic portrayals of the man, Alex Pretti, who was reportedly licensed to carry a gun, had turned the killing into an even larger political liability for the president.
Over the weekend, senior administration officials including Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff, called the victim “a domestic terrorist who tried to assassinate law enforcement”, while Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, accused him of perpetrating “the definition of domestic terrorism”.
Given ICE’s general level of competence, is it possible the gun accidentally discharged as the agent was carrying it away?
That’s what you’d call a negligent discharge, not accidental. The first time I saw the video of the thug taking Alex’s gun, I immediately noticed and said, “Why the hell is his finger on the trigger?”
There is a concept taught to anyone handling firearms professionally: you DO NOT put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire.