2 Federal agents who shot nurse Alex Pretti placed on leave

U.S. Capitol Police launch probe after attack on Representative Ilhan Omar

Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers who allegedly shot and killed Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti last Saturday have been placed on leave.

The move was disclosed by an administration official as Republican leaders broke with the White House’s handling of the shooting of Pretti, a Minnesota resident, who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis last Saturday.

He had attempted to help a woman who had been knocked down by ICE officers. Protestors left flowers in memory of Pretti throughout Minneapolis over the weekend.

U.S. Capitol Police are also investigating an attack on Representative Ilhan Omar, according to The New York Times.

The newspaper reported that two federal agents who opened fire on 37-year-old Pretti, a Veterans Affairs nurse in Minneapolis, have been placed on leave.

This was confirmed by an official with the Department of Homeland Security, who said on Wednesday, as more voices, including some in the Republican Party, broke with the White House over its handling of the fatal shooting that angered Minnesotans, leading them to take to the streets in thousands.

The paper reported that it was unclear if the department had taken any action regarding the other agents involved in the encounter with Pretti, including those who had helped restrain him before the two agents fired about 10 bullets into his back and as he slumped onto the street. The agents have been on leave since the shooting, the official said — something the White House had not previously disclosed.

On Sunday, Gregory Bovino, who was then overseeing President Trump’s Border Patrol operations in the city, told CNN that the agents involved in Mr. Pretti’s shooting had been moved to other cities and would “more than likely be on administrative duty.” He and other officials stridently defended the killing, however, falsely describing Mr. Pretti’s actions before he was killed.

The revelation came as authorities in Minneapolis and the U.S. Capitol Police were investigating an attack on Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who represents parts of the city and has been a frequent target of criticism from Mr. Trump. A man sprayed her with an unknown substance during a public event on Tuesday night as she criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

The attack was the latest reflection of the charged political climate over an aggressive federal immigration crackdown that has prompted an outpouring of anger in Minnesota and beyond.

Mr. Trump told ABC News on Tuesday night that he had not seen video footage of the attack on Ms. Omar but suggested without evidence that she had staged it.

“I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud,” he said. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”