Jimmy Kimmel breaks down over Alex Pretti shooting – ‘Shocked and sick’
Late-night hosts are sharing their shock and outrage over the killing of Alex Pretti.
On their Jan. 26 shows, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jon Stewart all discussed the news from over the weekend that Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis.
After Trump administration officials said Border Patrol agents acted in self-defense, video of the shooting quickly spread and sparked outrage, as it appeared to show that Pretti wasn’t brandishing a weapon. Pretti’s death came weeks after an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem accused both Pretti and Good of engaging in “domestic terrorism.”
In his “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” monologue, Kimmel said he spent the weekend feeling “shocked and sick” by what has been happening in Minneapolis. He also got personal as he noted he has family members’ living in the city.
“Is that the law and order that you voted for, if you voted for this?” he asked. “Every day is a nightmare now. My wife and I have family in Minneapolis that are 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?”
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USA TODAY has reached out to Border Patrol and the White House for comment.
Noem previously said that Border Patrol officers “attempted to disarm” Pretti, “but the armed suspect reacted violently,” and a Border Patrol agent “fired defensive shots” while “fearing for his life and the lives of his fellow officers around him.” She also said “this looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.”
But Kimmel urged viewers to ignore the Trump administration’s explanation, suggesting both sides of the political aisle should be able to agree on this “open and shut” case after watching video of the Pretti shooting. “It’s on video. Look at it,” he said. “Do your own research.”
Whoopi Goldberg says ‘you can’t justify’ Alex Pretti shooting
Later in the monologue, Kimmel broke down in tears while sending his love to Minneapolis.
“To the people of Minneapolis, to the Pretti family and the Good family, these people who were looking out for their neighbors, we want you to know that we’re with you, and you are not alone,” he said.
Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart address Alex Pretti shooting
Colbert, meanwhile, unloaded on Border Patrol agents in response to Greg Bovino, the head of the U.S. Border Patrol, describing them as the victims in the situation.
“They are, at best, weak-minded individuals full of anger, who have been led to the darkness by Donald Trump and are now participating in an evil system that will stick to them like hot, black tar for the rest of their lives,” the “Late Show” host said. “I’d cook at home from now, fellas, because no meal will ever go un-spit upon.”
On NBC’s “Late Night,” Meyers said the “barbarism” and “cruelty we’ve seen on display from our own government has been heartbreaking and infuriating.”
Stewart also addressed the shooting on “The Daily Show.” The comedian accused the administration of denying “the reality that we all witnessed,” adding, “They’re lying. We saw it. And that’s how brazen they lie when they know we’ve seen the truth. That’s how they lie when they know we know. Imagine how they lie when there’s no evidence to contradict them.”
During a press briefing on Monday, Jan. 26, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets,” including Good and Pretti, and said the “tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota.” She added that federal officers are “just trying to lawfully perform their duties,” and she appeared to distance President Donald Trump from comments made by Noem and deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, who characterized Pretti as a “domestic terrorist.”
“I have not heard the president characterize Mr. Pretti in that way,” she said. “However, I have heard the president say he wants to let the facts and the investigation lead itself.”
The late-night hosts had previously weighed in on the killing of Renee Good earlier this month.
Jimmy Kimmel slams ‘maniac’ Trump for response to ICE shooting
At the time, Kimmel said that after watching video of Good’s death, it “looked to me like a woman got scared, tried to drive away and they shot her.” He also urged ICE to get out of Minneapolis.
Colbert, in his first episode after Good’s death, opened “The Late Show” with a somber message in place of his tyipcally lighthearted cold open.
“Normally, we start these shows with a cold open, but sometimes, we don’t do that, especially if there’s been a shocking tragedy, and there’s been another,” he said.
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