NoVA Vigil To Honor 2 Victims Of MN Fatal Shootings

RESTON, VA — U.S. Rep. James R. Walkinshaw (VA-11) will lead a vigil with faith and community partners and Northern Virginia residents in Reston on Thursday to honor the memories of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed recently by federal law enforcement in Minnesota.

The vigil will take place Thursday, 5 to 6:30 p.m., at United Christian Parish, which is located at 11508 North Shore Drive in Reston. Speakers will include, tentatively:

• U.S. James R. Walkinshaw (D-11th)
• Rev. Elisabeth Williams, United Christian Parish
• Imam Magid, ADAMS
• Rabbi Michael Holzman, Northern VA Hebrew Congregation
• Rev. Elvira Beracochea, St. Christopher's Episcopal Church
• Pastor Vernon Walton, First Baptist Church of Vienna
• Rev. Charles R. Cowherd, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church
• John Cano, Legal Aid Justice Center, Senior Supervising Organizer
• Samantha Zaboli, Centreville Immigration Forum, Executive Director
• Erin McKenney, Just Neighbors, Executive Director
• Krystyn Peck, Lutheran Social Services, CEO

On Jan. 7, Good, a mother of three, was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer as she drove her SUV past a group of officers in South Minneapolis. Although federal officials say the officer fired his weapon in self-defense, city leaders and witnesses have described the shooting as an unjustified killing captured on video.

“Today, ICE shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis," Walkinshaw said, following the shooting. "And now, unsurprisingly, the Trump Administration is lying about it. The lawless Republican mass deportation agenda is creating chaos and violence in communities across the nation. It needs to end.”

On Saturday, Pretti, a Green Bay native who built a life as a nurse in the Twin Cities, was shot and killed in an encounter with federal authorities amid continued unrest regarding immigration enforcement across the Minneapolis area.

Also See ...

• ICE Shooting Victim A Mom Who Leaves Behind A 6-Year-Old Child: Reports
• Video Shows ICE Agent Fatally Shooting 37-Year-Old Woman In Minneapolis
• Alex Pretti Grew Up In WI, Killed By Border Patrol In MN: 'A Kindhearted Soul'

The Department of Homeland Security said the Pretti was shot after he “approached” Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. Officials did not specify if he brandished the gun.

In bystander videos of the shooting that emerged soon after, Pretti is seen with a phone in his hand, standing between authorities and another person before he is taken to the ground, but none of the videos appear to show him holding a weapon.

Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Minnesota. Court records showed he had no criminal record.

The Associated Press contributed to the reporting of this story.