Kristi Noem Claims ICE Agent Fired ‘Defensive Shots’ — Accuses Gov. Walz and and Mayor Frey of Deciding to ‘Choose Violence’ in Stunning Presser

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the 37-year-old man who was shot and killed by Border Patrol in Minneapolis intended to “kill law enforcement” officers and that agents “fired defensive shots” to protect themselves from him.

Noem made those comments during a press conference on Saturday evening.

She also slammed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) for what she said was their “encouragement” of violence against federal immigration agents. She said their rhetoric is putting both agents and anti-ICE protesters in danger.

Noem said the Border Patrol agents were conducting an operation to apprehend a violent illegal immigrant when the man who was shot — identified as Alex Pretti — interfered with the operation.

“An individual approached officers with a 9-millimeter semi automatic handgun,” Noem said. “The officers attempted to disarm this individual but the armed suspect reacted violently. Fearing for his life and for the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots.”

Noem added Pretti had two magazines with ammunition and no identification.

“It looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and kill law enforcement,” she added.

Critics promptly accused Noem of delivering an account of the incident that differed from the footage. CNN anchor Jake Tapper, responding to Noem, posted the video of the shooting and asked “Is that what you see?”

Her comments echoed what Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino said a few hours earlier, when he claimed Pretti wanted to cause “maximum damage” and “massacre” the immigrant agents.

She then bashed Walz and Frey for their comments in recent weeks, following the shooting death of Renee Good and now Pretti.

“The Minnesota governor and the Minneapolis mayor need to take a long hard look in the mirror,” Noem said. “They need to evaluate their rhetoric and conversations and encouragement of such violence against our citizens and law enforcement officers.”

She pointed to Walz on Saturday saying Border Patrol officers were “not law enforcement” and his comment last year where he called ICE “Donald Trump’s modern-day gestapo.”

Noem also slammed Minnesota for not working with federal officers, saying they have “refused to turn over murderers… and [have] protected illegal criminals from being brought to justice.” She said that is not the case in states like Texas and Florida — and it is leading to more chaos in Minnesota as a result.

“In Minneapolis, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey they instead choose violence. They instead choose to encourage destruction of their city and crime against their people. It appears they want this lawlessness to continue. It appears they want chaos to distract from threat and fraud and corruption of their city.”

Watch above via Fox News.

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