Crackdown puts pressure on Trump

Fatal shootings spark anger in Minneapolis

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A federal agent lobs a teargas canister towards protesters during clashes on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the fatal shooting of a protester earlier in the day.

(PHOTOS BY AFP)

President Donald Trump on Sunday blamed the deaths of two Americans by federal agents on Democratic “chaos’ as his administration faced intensifying pressure over its mass immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

Federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-yearold ICU nurse, early Saturday while scuffling with him on an icy roadway in the Midwestern city, less than three weeks after an immigration officer fired on Renee Good, also 37, killing her in her car.

Trump administration officials quickly claimed that Pretti had intended to harm the federal agents — as it did after Good's death — pointing to a pistol it said was discovered on him.

However, video shared widely on social media and verified by US media showed Pretti never drawing a weapon, with agents firing about 10 shots at him seconds after he was sprayed in the face with chemical irritant and thrown to the ground.