CEOs of Target, other Minn-based corps call for 'de-escalation,' law enforcement to work together

Minnesota CEOs of more than 60 companies — such as Target, Best Buy, and UnitedHealth — issued a letter, calling for de-escalation and law enforcement to coordinate after a second shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis.

The companies' CEOs signed an open letter posted on the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce website on Sunday, The Associated Press reported.

“With yesterday’s tragic news, we are calling for an immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions,” the open letter reads.

The CEOs who signed the letter included 3M CEO William Brown, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry, General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening, incoming Target CEO Michael Fiddelke, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Helmsley, and others.

Over the last two weeks, protesters have targeted some businesses they believed were not taking a strong enough stand against federal law enforcement activity, including Minneapolis-based Target.

“In this difficult moment for our community, we call for peace and focused cooperation among local, state and federal leaders to achieve a swift and durable solution that enables families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future,” the letter reads.

The letter comes after federal agents shot and killed both Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this month, which the Trump administration has claimed was done in self-defense.

Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday. He was an ICU nurse who worked for a veterans' hospital, and was pinned to the ground by a group of federal officers “violently resisting,” according to Trump administration officials. 

The Department of Homeland Security claimed that Pretti rushed at the agents with a gun in hand, but videos taken by bystanders appear to only show him holding his phone.

One of the shooting appears to show an agent removing a pistol from Pretti’s waistband seconds before 10 gunshots are fired, killing him. Pretti had a permit and was legally allowed to conceal carry.

Good was shot and killed earlier this month after allegedly ramming into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with her vehicle.