Jimmy Kimmel appeared visibly emotional in his monologue following the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
The Department of Homeland Security has claimed that Pretti was shot this weekend by agents in self-defence after approaching them with a gun. However, footage shows Pretti trying to help a civilian while holding his phone. He appears to have had a gun in his waistband, which was taken from him by agents, before he was shot multiple times. According to law enforcement, Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. It happened days after the shooting of Renée Good by ICE agents nearby.
Kimmel began his Monday night broadcast by saying, “I spent the weekend like probably a lot of you did, looking at my phone and just feeling shocked and sick about what is happening in Minneapolis.”
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Referring to the litany of incidents between ICE agents and residents, he continued, “Just one atrocity after another being committed by this gang of poorly trained, shamefully led, mask-wearing goons. And that is what they are. They’re goons committing vile, heartless, and even criminal acts.”
“We clearly see one of our fellow Americans executed by ICE. And they won’t even admit that it was a mistake,” he said. “They say the Honda SUV Renée Good was driving was weaponized…Alex Pretti had a license to carry in an open carry state. Many of these same people screamed very loudly about when it was Kyle Rittenhouse carrying the gun. A gun that Alex Pretti did not even draw, did not touch. A gun that was taken from him by one of the agents before he was shot dead by the other ones. They fired 10 times on an ICU nurse.”
The talk show host added, “They’re telling us, ‘Well, it was justified.’ Is that the law and order that you voted for? If you voted for this. Every day is a nightmare. My wife and I have family in Minneapolis. They’re afraid to take their kids to school. They’re afraid to go to work. And I can only imagine how people who aren’t white feel about this. How does this end? What’s the plan here? Is the plan to just keep doing this in every city that didn’t vote for Donald Trump? Does anyone on any side believe this is good leadership?”
Lambasting the lack of “reasonable voices on the right,” he said, “If that was a group of trans swimmers shooting a guy for making a cell phone video, you’d be heating up the electric chairs right now. Admit it. You would. Let’s cut the bullshit already.”
Visibly choking up, he said, “And to the people of Minneapolis, to the Pretti family and the Good family and these people who were looking out for their neighbors, we want you to know that we are with you and you are not alone.”
Near the end of his monologue, Kimmel said, “Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse who treated veterans, which is about as patriotic, I think, as it gets.”
He then played a video of Pretti honoring one of his veteran patients who had passed away. In it, Pretti says, “Today we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget and always remember our brothers and sisters who have served, so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom.”
“Alex Pretti, may he rest in peace,” Kimmel concluded.