Video footage of the moment immigration agents shot dead a 37-year-old nurse in Minneapolis yesterday appears to contradict Trump administration claims the man as a violent aggressor who sought to "massacre" federal law enforcement officials.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after the shooting said Alex Pretti had "approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun" and "violently resisted" when they attempted to disarm him.
Administration officials did not say whether Mr Pretti had the gun in his hands at the time.
Video shared widely by US media, which AFP has not verified, however, shows Mr Pretti with a phone in his hands, filming agents in a snow-lined street and directing traffic.
Warning: Video contains distressing material
After an agent shoves a woman protester to the ground on the sidewalk, Mr Pretti steps in between them and is sprayed in the face by a chemical irritant.
The agent then pulls Mr Pretti to the ground and several officers struggle to detain him on the icy roadway.
Seconds later, as an officer in grey appears to pull something from Mr Pretti's waist while Mr Pretti is bent forward on his knees with multiple officers on top of him, agents open fire.
They shoot his motionless body several times from a distance after initially dispersing. At least 10 gunshots can be heard in the footage.
In one clip, a man can be heard saying, "Where's the gun?" as Mr Pretti is motionless on the ground.
DHS after the shooting posted on X a photo of the handgun purportedly found on Mr Pretti.
The department said it looked "like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement".
But Mr Pretti's parents in a subsequent statement denounced what they called "sickening lies" from the Trump administration.
"Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs," they said.
"He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed."
