Border Agents Placed on Leave After Fatal Shooting in Minneapolis
Two U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents were placed on administrative leave following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, in Minneapolis on Saturday, according to CBP. The incident sparked protests in Minnesota and calls for the removal of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
According to a preliminary DHS report sent to Congress, the agents fired their weapons at Pretti during a scuffle. Initial official accounts alleged that Pretti brandished a gun. It remains unclear when the agents were placed on leave.
The shooting occurred amidst other events drawing scrutiny and criticism. In Minnesota, Chief Federal Judge Patrick J. Schiltz excoriated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), stating the agency violated nearly 100 court orders stemming from its immigration enforcement actions in the state. Judge Schiltz said ICE disobeyed more judicial directives in January alone than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence, according to the New York Times. He temporarily rescinded an order summoning acting ICE director Todd Lyons to explain why he should not be held in contempt.
Meanwhile, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Kevin Couch, the senior vice president of artistic programming, resigned less than two weeks after his hiring was announced. According to the New York Times, Couch, formerly the director of programming for ATG Entertainment, a British theater company, is the latest in a string of resignations and show cancellations since President Trump purged the center's board and made himself chairman last year.
Internationally, a passenger train in northeastern Ukraine was struck by Russian drones, resulting in five deaths. A Ukrainian soldier, identified as Omar, part of Ukraine's 93rd brigade, described the panic as passengers threw themselves on the floor. He told the BBC that he instructed passengers to evacuate immediately before the carriage burst into flames. "Without his instruction, issued moments before the carriage burst into flames, many more passengers could have died," the BBC reported.
In Iran, protesters injured during demonstrations are reportedly avoiding hospitals due to fear of arrest. The BBC reported that one protester, Tara, who was shot by security forces in Isfahan, said, "Don't take us to a hospital." She and her friend were treated in secret to avoid being apprehended by authorities.
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