Megyn Kelly has openly criticized Alex Pretti, the ICE protester who was recently killed, accusing him of “stalking, harassing, and terrorizing” federal agents. This comes after a video surfaced showing Pretti kicking the tail light of an ICE SUV.
The 37-year-old Pretti was shot and killed on Saturday by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, who reported that he was armed with a 9mm handgun during a confrontation.
The incident has sparked ongoing debates about the justification of the shooting. On Wednesday, footage was released showing Pretti spitting at the window of a Ford Expedition SUV occupied by federal officers on a mission to detain illegal immigrants.
In the video, Pretti can be heard yelling profanities at the officers. As the vehicle began to move, Pretti is seen kicking the SUV’s tail light, causing it to break.
Kelly took to social media on Wednesday night to share the video, stating that Pretti “was looking for another confrontation with Border Patrol, whom he had been persistently harassing.”
She asserted that “HE had been victimizing THEM,” emphasizing that “his criminal actions were documented” and arguing that Pretti’s reckless behavior ultimately led to his demise.
‘Find another poster boy, illegal-loving Leftists,’ she wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security has said it is now reviewing the footage as it conducts its investigation into the fatal shooting.
Megyn Kelly hit out at slain ICE protester Alex Pretti for ‘stalking, harassing and terrorizing’ agents after a video emerged showing him kicking the tail light of one of the agency’s SUVs and spitting at agents
Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon
Kelly declared on social media that Pretti ‘was reckless and it cost him his life’
Authorities have said Pretti had an altercation with federal officers that saw him break a rib ahead of his untimely death.
It could not be immediately confirmed whether the new clip depicts the moment he broke the rib and whether it was filmed before or afterward the breakage.
But the footage shows that after Pretti kicked the SUV on January 13, an officer got out of the vehicle and started fighting with the intensive care nurse, pinning him to the ground as bystanders screamed.
Surrounding officers then fired tear gas and pepper balls into the crowd, while agents released Pretti from their grip and set him free.
The nurse, who appeared to have a gun in his waistband as he did the day of the shooting, then picked up his belongings that came off in the scuffle and walked away.
The officers he had been fighting with what appeared to be either Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents.
It does not appear that Pretti was arrested for causing damage to federal property in the aftermath.
Lawyers for Pretti’s family have confirmed to The Star Tribune that the agitator in the footage is him.
Footage released Wednesday showed Pretti shouting at federal officers in Minneapolis just over a week before his death
Pretti was seen spitting on a federal vehicle before kicking its taillight and causing it to fall off – prompting officers to tackle him to the ground
‘A week before Alex was gunned down in the street – despite posing no threat to anyone – he was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents,’ said attorney Steve Schleicher on behalf of the family.
‘Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing at the hands of ICE on Jan 24,’ added Schleicher, an ex-federal prosecutor who helped secure a conviction for Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the George Floyd case.
The 37-year-old’s death, which came just weeks after Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent on January 7, sparked an immediate uproar across the country.
A litany of criticism on both sides of the political line has put pressure on the Trump administration to make changes to the ongoing immigration crackdown in the US.
It was also revealed on Wednesday that the two Border Patrol agents who killed Pretti have been placed on administrative leave.
Sources in Homeland Security confirmed to the Daily Mail that the agents, who have not been identified, were suspended amid an investigation into the shooting.
The agents were reportedly given mental health support as standard procedure, and were placed on automatic administrative leave for at least three days.
When the agents return, they will not be allowed out on the field and will be given desk roles, sources say.
The two Border Patrol agents who shot and killed protester Pretti have been placed on administrative leave
Trump officials have tried to portray Pretti as a ‘domestic terrorist’ because he had a legally-owned firearm at the time he was shot, however a new government report has undermined allegations he ‘brandished’ the weapon.
The new report alleged that when an officer shouted ‘gun’ during his arrest, there was no evidence Pretti had taken it off his hip.
Footage of the shooting that circulated social media appeared to show a border patrol agent had disarmed Pretti moments before he was shot several times in the back.
A Daily Mail/JL Partners poll conducted of over 1,000 American voters on Monday, has since found 54 percent believe that the federal law enforcement murdered Pretti. The margin of error is 3.1 percent.
More than one in five Republicans, 22 percent, said Pretti’s killing constituted murder.
Just 21 percent of all respondents indicated that shooting and killing the nurse was justified.
