Former New York Rep. Peter King said he does not expect the protest movement targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement to die down "in the short term."
He said that's because Democrat leaders in Minnesota have fueled "more chaos" after the shooting death of Alex Pretti on Saturday morning.
He also told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend" that the shooting was a "tragic accident" and said that federal law enforcement agents did not set out to "intentionally murder anyone."
"I think people like [Gov.] Tim Walz and the mayor of Minneapolis are so intent on creating more chaos, and the reality is, I think we should start with one premise here," said King.
"Nobody in ICE intentionally shot anyone, intentionally wanted to hurt anyone, or kill anyone. What happened was a tragic accident," he said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino and other Department of Homeland Security officials said Saturday that Pretti, 37, was killed after approaching several CBP agents while armed.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said Sunday, on CBS News' "Face the Nation," that Pretti had a permit to legally own and carry the weapon, but that he has not seen evidence "that suggests that the weapon was brandished."
King criticized public statements by elected officials describing the incident as "assassination and killing and murder," calling that language "absolutely irresponsible."
He said the facts were still emerging, but said better crowd control and security could have prevented the confrontation.
"Again, if we’re going to look at some of the causes for what actually happened yesterday, if the police and the local police have been doing what they’re supposed to be doing, which is to protect ICE when they come in, keep the crowd back, keep the demonstrators back," King said.
"If the state troopers, if the National Guard in that state have been working to protect ICE, this would not have happened," he said.
King said he has seen ICE operations conducted elsewhere without similar unrest and singled out Minneapolis and Minnesota leadership.
"I think of all the other cities in the country where ICE has gone in, and Minneapolis was the only one that had this type of reaction," he said. "The mayor and the governor basically are not allowing local law enforcement to do their job, which is to protect ICE."
He added, "So this to me is a disgrace by Walz, disgrace by the mayor. And I hope that as the investigation goes forward, the facts will come out."
King reiterated that he believes there was no intent to harm anyone.
"But in any event, it was certainly no intent by anyone in ICE to intentionally murder anyone," he said.
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