FILE — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A federal employee union is calling for an independent investigation and for the resignation of prominent government leaders after a deadly shooting of a nurse in Minneapolis involving Border Patrol.
Everett Kelley, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said that following the killing of a fellow member, ICU nurse Alex Pretti, the group is calling for accountability.
“In the immediate aftermath of Alex’s killing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem betrayed the public trust by slandering the good name of our union brother and calling him a ‘domestic terrorist,’” Kelley said in a statement. “Alex Pretti was a patriotic ICU nurse at a VA hospital who devoted his life to serving America’s veterans.”
Pretti was shot and killed by a federal officer Saturday amid an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis by the Trump administration.
Family members said the 37-year-old was an intensive care nurse at a VA hospital who cared deeply about people and was upset by the immigration crackdown in the city.
Saturday’s fatal shooting was the second such death in the city following rising tensions in Minneapolis since the arrival of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
The shooting deaths have prompted calls for thorough independent investigations.
“AFGE calls for a full and transparent investigation into Alex’s killing led by an independent third party. We also call for bipartisan congressional oversight to uncover the truth, ensure accountability, and begin repairing the damage to public trust,” Kelley said.
The union president’s statement continued, saying the group’s “demand is clear,” calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller to resign.
Officials with the Trump administration have called Pretti an armed instigator. However, videos emerging from the scene that day have had local political leaders contradict those claims.
President Donald Trump said investigations are moving forward.
“We’re doing an investigation. I want to see the investigation. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday at the White House.
Kelley said labor and faith leaders from Minneapolis came together this week to honor Pretti.
“We honored his life and legacy and lifted up his family, his friends, his union, Minneapolis, and our nation in prayer,” Kelley said in his statement.
