Members of the Minnesota National Guard are mobilizing around Minneapolis after a 37-year-old man was shot and killed by federal agents in the city today.
The National Guard confirmed it was mobilizing to support local law enforcement following a request from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s office earlier today. Troops will be “assisting in securing the Whipple Federal Building and the site of this morning’s shooting, providing depth and capability to state and local law enforcement,” Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya, a spokesperson for the Minnesota National Guard, said in a statement.
“The Minnesota National Guard’s mission remains the same: preserving life, protecting property, and ensuring Minnesotans can safely exercise their First Amendment rights,” the statement continued.
Top Stories This Week
The mobilization comes after agents with the Department of Homeland Security killed a man in Minneapolis earlier today. He was identified by his family as 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti. Pretti worked at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, according to one colleague who also works with the VA. Multiple videos from the shooting show Pretti filming federal agents before being tackled to the ground by multiple members. Pretti was apparently in possession of a handgun, which was not drawn, and was removed by agents. After being restrained, videos show another agent firing a shot at Pretti, and a third fires multiple bullets at him. Pretti is the second person to be killed by DHS agents this month since the surge of federal immigration personnel began. Renée Good was killed on Jan. 7, in a shooting since ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County medical examiner, and her death prompted additional protests around the city.
The Minnesota National Guard did not say how many troops would be mobilized, or from what units. Speaking earlier today, Gen. Shawn Manke, the state’s adjutant general, declined to offer specific troop numbers but said that “the number that we have is adequate for the requests that we have right now, and I will also tell you that we are bringing more resources that will be able to respond in a timely manner that are not fully mobilized yet, but we are mobilizing more soldiers as we talk at this time.
The Minnesota National Guard was put on standby on Jan. 8. Leadership previously announced that if forces were mobilized they would be wearing reflective vests, so as not to be mistaken for similarly dressed federal agents. Members of the Minnesota National Guard’s 257th Military Police Company mobilized last weekend to help the state patrol troopers with traffic operations ahead of a number of protests at the capital.
The Whipple federal building has been a frequent site of protests since the DHS activity in the Twin Cities began, with agents using it as a base of operations and as an ICE detention facility.
