Protests erupt across US after American citizen Alex Pretti shot dead, as video shows he had been holding a phone and not a gun, contradicting federal claims – key US politics stories from 24 January
US federal law enforcement officers fatally shot an American citizen in Minneapolis in the second such killing in less than three weeks, sparking major protests in cities across the country.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old registered nurse living in Minneapolis, was shot dead after being sprayed with a chemical agent and wrestled to the ground by federal agents when he appeared to come to the aid of a person being shoved to the ground by an officer.
Video evidence showed Pretti was holding a phone, not a gun, when he was tackled and shot, directly contradicting the claims of senior Trump administration officials that he threatened to “massacre law enforcement”. Pretti was legally licensed to have a gun but it is unclear whether he had one on his person at the time of the incident, and the videos do not show him ever having one in his hand.
Here are the day’s key Trump administration stories at a glance.
