N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul calls for removal of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem following fatal shooting of ICU nurse in Minneapolis
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul isn't mincing words when it comes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's actions in Minneapolis.
Less than three weeks after Renee Good was fatally shot by ICE agents, 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an ICU nurse who worked at the Minneapolis VA hospital, was gunned down Saturday following an altercation. The Department of Homeland Security said the agent acted in self-defense after attempting to disarm Pretti, but Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz disputed the account after reviewing videos of the shooting.
"[Kristi Noem] has shown a profound disregard for human life"
Hochul on Sunday took DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to task.
"[President] Donald Trump's leader of the Department of Homeland Security has proven to be unable and unwilling to follow the law to stop these killings," Hochul said. "Kristi Noem has referred to these peaceful protesters as 'domestic terrorists,' and lied about the shooting victims being the aggressors. She has shown a profound disregard for human life."
Hochul then called for the removal of Noem and Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.
"Kristi Noem has forfeited her right to lead and I'm calling on her to resign as Secretary of Homeland Security, or Donald Trump to do the right thing and just fire her. And if not, she must be removed or impeached. And Gregory Bovino who has helped lead and defend and escalate these operations should also be fired," Hochul said.
"It's a shame I have to say this in America, but no one is above the law, no one. Not an ICE agent, not a federal officer, not the president of the United States. And make no mistake, when these people who have abused the power entrusted to them by their offices are finally out of power, states including New York, will hold them accountable," Hochul added.
Latest on the investigation
Videos from the scene verified by CBS News show Pretti holding a phone in his right hand, and nothing in his left, before he was shot. Multiple videos also show a federal agent in a gray jacket reaching into the scuffle empty-handed and emerging with a gun in his right hand, turning away from the man when the first shot is fired, then running across the street as more shots are fired.
U.S. District Court Judge Eric Tostrud granted a temporary restraining order against DHS on Saturday, barring the department from altering or destroying evidence connected to Pretti's killing.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said DHS representatives blocked them from accessing the scene of the shooting, despite the fact that the bureau had obtained a judge's signed search warrant. On Sunday morning, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said that the state investigative agency had returned to the scene at his request, "canvassing for additional witnesses and evidence."
- Read more: Minneapolis police chief says "people have had enough" after fatal shooting by federal agents
"This is the third shooting now in less than three weeks. The Minneapolis Police Department went the entire year last year, recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds and hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn't shoot anyone. And now this is the second American citizen that's been killed, it's the third shooting within three weeks," O'Hara said.