Melania Trump issues desperate plea as she breaks silence on Alex Pretti shooting

The US First Lady has spoken out on the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal agent this weekend.

Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse from Minneapolis, was gunned down by an eight-year Border Patrol veteran during a protest on Saturday (24 January), as agents continued their violent immigrant crackdown as authorised by Donald Trump.

The shooting unfolded just over a mile from where another Minnesota resident, mother-of-three Renee Good, also 37, was shot dead by an ICE agent earlier this month while sitting behind the wheel of her car.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleged that Pretti had come to the protest with 'weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers'.

Tricia McLaughlin, another Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, also claimed that federal officers had fired 'defensive shots' after a man with a semi-automatic handgun neared and 'violently resisted' when they attempted to disarm him.

Pretti was murdered during a protest on Saturday (Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty Images)

However, video footage of the shooting has since been released, which suggests otherwise, with Pretti being seen holding a phone, not a gun.

Meanwhile, two witness testimonies also say that Pretti wasn't holding a gun, with one adding they 'did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind'.

What has Melania Trump now said?

First Lady Melania Trump has since spoken out on Pretti's murder, giving an interview on Fox & Friends this morning (27 Jan).

"I’m calling for unity," the 55-year-old said. "I know my husband, the president, had a great call yesterday with the governor and the mayor, and they’re working together to make it peaceful and without riots.

"I’m against the violence, so please, if you protest, protest in peace. And we need to unify in this time."

For reference, yesterday (26 January), Trump said on Truth Social that he'd had a 'good call' with Minnesota's governor, Tim Walz, and its mayor, Jacob Frey.

Walz's office then followed with a statement of its own, adding that Trump had agreed to 'look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota' and would be working with the state 'in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals'.

Meanwhile, Frey said the president had 'agreed the present situation can’t continue'.

Melania has issued a statement of her own (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

How did Donald Trump respond?

Despite at least four clips appearing to contradict the DHS's statements, Trump, 79, asserted the claim that Pretti was carrying 'a very dangerous gun'.

The Republican leader also told the Wall Street Journal that his team are 'reviewing everything' they know about the shooting, and 'will come out with a determination', vowing to send Tom Homan - supposedly his administration's 'border tsar' - to Minnesota.

He also described Homan in a Truth Social statement as 'tough but fair', claiming that he'll relay everything he learns about the case to the president.

"He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there," Trump added.