Last Saturday, federal border patrol agents shot and killed progressive protestor Alex Pretti in Minnesota. After his death, a video surfaced from a week earlier where Pretti had spat on border patrol agents and violently kicked an agent's car.

Some on the right are, through implication, suggesting Pretti got what he deserved. Some on the left suggest agents killed Pretti on Saturday as an act of revenge for the prior encounter. Both views are wrong and unfortunate.

We know that Pretti died after being disarmed by border patrol agents. It was a tragedy. It did not have to happen. We also now know that Pretti's gun did not discharge as some speculated.

Pretti was active in the operations to disrupt the border patrol and immigration agents and was not merely observing. Had Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey helped immigration agents, instead of rallying mobs, Pretti would be alive. But we can add something else now, too.

Had local police detained Pretti in his last altercation and arrested him for interference, or had federal agents done so, he'd be alive now. Ignoring the small problems can lead to big problems. Had the........

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