‌Immediately after the shooting, Miller accused Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse protesting against immigration operations in Minnesota, of being an "assassin" who "tried to murder federal agents." White House officials accused Pretti, who was legally carrying a gun, of brandishing his weapon, meaning using it in a threatening manner, toward federal agents before the shooting unfolded Saturday. It comes just weeks after fellow 37-year-old mother, Renee Good, by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, whose killing triggered ongoing nationwide protests. Analysis of videos of the shooting do not show the victim attempting to assassinate anyone," while linking to an article from The New York Times about the fatal shooting. Justifying her initial remarks amid growing calls for her resignation and impeachment by Congress, a spokesperson of Noem told Axios, "Everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen [Miller]."