Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino stood up for the federal agents involved in the shooting of protester Alex Pretti, saying he believes the agents themselves are the real victims in the deadly incident in Minneapolis and defending their actions.
Bovino defended his agents, saying they are still working. However, they've been placed on administrative duty after the shooting of Pretti, 37, in an incident that has sparked new criticism from Democrats and even some voices on the right. "The victims are the Border Patrol agents. I'm not blaming the Border Patrol agents," Bovino shot back on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday when asked if he was "blaming the victim."
Praising His Agents
"The suspect put himself in that situation," Bovino added. A newly released high-definition video of the horrific incident has surfaced that has raised fresh questions about how Pretti was shot and killed by federal immigration officers during the protest, as the footage appears to show details that differ from the initial official account.
The viral video appears to show that Pretti had already been disarmed and subdued by Federal immigration officers just moments before he was shot multiple times and killed on a city street. The video has been slowed and stabilized to closely examine the seconds leading up to the shooting, with journalists now reviewing it frame by frame.
The video provides a different perspective on the shooting, one that appears to challenge the Department of Homeland Security's claims that Pretti waved a gun or posed an immediate threat to officers.
The footage has raised doubts about DHS statements that agents fired in self-defense after Pretti supposedly approached them with a handgun and resisted aggressively. Instead, it seems to show federal agents already holding Pretti down on the ground as his weapon is taken away, just seconds before another agent opens fire.
Questions have been raised further after a doctor who saw the aftermath from his nearby apartment said in an affidavit that agents delayed giving lifesaving aid.
The pediatrician, who was not named, said the officers appeared to be counting Pretti's gunshot wounds instead of performing CPR as he lay critically injured.
New Angle and Fresh Questions
One of the people who closely reviewed the footage is investigative journalist Lou Raguse, who said a particular camera angle stands out as especially important. "I've reviewed every available video of the Border Patrol shooting ... and there is one angle in particular that I think is important to see," Raguse said.
"You can see the agent in gray pull Pretti's gun out from the back of his pants right in front of this Border Patrol agent who draws his weapon."
"That agent then fires up to ten times again after Alex Pretti is disarmed," Raguse said. "I froze the video right before the second shot, which appeared to be right into Alex's back."
Another video shows Pretti holding his phone as he tried to help a woman who had been knocked to the ground by an immigration agent, while both of them were repeatedly blasted with tear gas.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed that Pretti had approached U.S. Border Patrol agents while carrying a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.
"The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted," DHS said.
"Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots."
