"Wake-up call to every American": Obama condemns killing of US citizen in Minneapolis

Former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of a US citizen in Minneapolis by federal agents calling it a heartbreaking tragedy and warning that core American values are increasingly under assaultIn a joint statement posted on X the Obamas said the killing should serve as a wakeup call for Americans across political lines stressing the need for lawful and accountable law enforcement practicesThe killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy It should also be a wakeup call to every American regardless of party that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault pictwittercom0JmEsJ1QFWmdash Barack Obama BarackObama January 25 2026The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy It should also be a wakeup call to every American regardless of party that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault Obama saidThe remarks came after the 37yearold man was shot and killed by federal immigration agents early Saturday morning local time in south MinneapolisObama highlighted widespread outrage over the conduct of masked federal agents accusing them of acting without accountability and using tactics that intimidate and endanger city residentsFederal law enforcement and immigration agents have a tough job But Americans expect them to carry out their duties in a lawful accountable way and to work with rather than against state and local officials to ensure public safety Thats not what were seeing in Minnesota he saidHe criticised the current approach saying the federal response has escalated tensions rather than imposed accountabilityIn fact were seeing the opposite For weeks now people across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE recruits and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that seem designed to intimidate harass provoke and endanger the residents of a major American city These unprecedented tactics which even the former top lawyer of the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration has characterized as embarrassing lawless and cruel have now resulted in the fatal shootings of two US citizens And yet rather than trying to impose some semblance of discipline and accountability over the agents theyve deployed the President and current administration officials seem eager to escalate the situation while offering public explanations for the shootings of Mr Pretti and Renee Good that arent informed by any serious investigationand that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence Obama saidHe urged the administration to halt the escalation and coordinate with local authoritiesThis has to stop I would hope that after this most recent tragedy administration officials will reconsider their approach and start finding ways to work constructively with Governor Walz and Mayor Frey as well as state and local police to avert more chaos and achieve legitimate law enforcement goals he added in his joint statementThe Obamas also called on Americans to support peaceful protests and speak out against injusticeIn the meantime every American should support and draw inspiration from the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other parts of the country They are a timely reminder that ultimately its up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice protect our basic freedoms and hold our government accountableIn response to Saturdays incident hundreds of protesters gathered in subzero temperatures clashing with law enforcement and demanding answers Local leaders sharply criticised the federal presence in Minneapolis Governor Tim Walz said the city and state are sickened by the repeated use of deadly force and urged the Trump administration to end the current immigration operationHomeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the agents actions calling the operation necessary for public safety and reiterating that officers acted in defence under dangerous conditionsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever