Seventeen days after the shooting death of Rene Good, white young man Alex Petti (37) was again killed by gunfire from the Federal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the same state of Minneapolis. [Photo=AFP·Yonhap News] 

In American society, the probability of an unarmed white citizen being shot and killed by police is extremely rare, to the point of being newsworthy. 

According to statistics from the past decade, approximately 6.1 black individuals per million population died from police gunfire, compared to about 2.4 white individuals. This is based solely on skin color, irrespective of all other conditions. 

However, in the span of just a few days, two unarmed white citizens have died from agent gunfire in Minneapolis, USA. 

Unprecedented Fatal Shootings of Unarmed White Citizens

The first incident involved a white woman named Rene Good, who was shot and killed while threatening U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials with her vehicle. 

Then, just 17 days after this incident, white young man Alex Petti (37) was again killed by gunfire from the Federal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the same state of Minneapolis. 

U.S. President Donald Trump had initially claimed "agent self-defense" in the first incident, but this time he took steps to manage the situation by dismissing Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino. 

However, Democrats are taking a firm stance, stating that they will refuse to approve the Department of Homeland Security budget bill and even risk a government shutdown if reforms to control the abuses of the Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are not passed. 

The successive fatal shooting incidents have placed the Trump administration and Republicans in a difficult position, while the Democrats' voices have grown louder. 

Then why was Petti, a citizen, white, and unarmed, shot and killed in broad daylight?

Why Did the Young Man Go to a Protest with a Gun?

On the morning of the 24th (local time), a protest against the Trump administration's tough immigration enforcement was underway in Minneapolis. 

Petti, a nurse in the intensive care unit of the Veterans Affairs hospital, was assisting with traffic control at the scene. At that time, a confrontation occurred between federal agents and protesters in front of a donut shop. Petti, who was filming them, also got caught up in the altercation. 

Agents pepper-sprayed Petti and ordered him to lie on the ground, but he resisted fiercely until six agents tackled him to subdue him. 

At that moment, one agent noticed something on Petti's waist and quickly removed it. It was a gun. However, a belated shout of "Gun, gun!" was heard, and startled by this, another agent fired at Petti. It was a split-second event. 

It appears that communication errors occurred among the agents as their vision was obscured during the process of multiple agents tackling him. 

According to local media, Petti was legally permitted to carry a handgun under Minnesota state law, having obtained a formal firearm license. 

Of course, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (Republican) stated in an interview with CBS, "Carrying a firearm in a criminal situation is not permitted, and obstructing law enforcement is a felony." 

In the first place, Petti should not have gone to a scene crowded with agents while carrying a gun. The mere possession of a firearm can make police feel threatened for their lives and compel them to employ maximum defensive measures. 

Why on earth did he go to the protest with a gun? This is the first question. 

Could someone have urged him or other protesters to bring a gun?

A Gun Owner Becomes a Potential Threat by Default

At the time, the agents were extremely agitated by the protesters' attacks. The city was already struggling with crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. 

However, some protesters denigrated federal agents as a ruthless group, spitting on them, throwing food, and filming them indiscriminately. 

In the Rene Good incident, her companions could be seen provocatively filming an agent with their mobile phones. Then Rene Good aggressively started her car, and it brushed past the agent. And the shot was fired. 

The number of deaths from police shootings in the United States exceeds 1,000 annually. In the U.S., where civilian gun ownership rates are very high, the use of firearms by police, sheriffs, and federal agents (law enforcement officers) falls within the scope of the constitutionally guaranteed right to self-defense. America is a society where guns confront guns. 

The number of deaths from police shootings in the U.S. exceeds 1,000 annually. [Statistics=Statista] 

Therefore, ordinary citizens invariably raise their hands and comply when stopped by police. This scene is frequently depicted in movies. And this is even more so for someone carrying a gun.

However, Petti, who was carrying a gun, resisted fiercely enough to require six people to subdue him. This is the second question. 

Did he not know that his life could be in danger if a gun was discovered?

This is not to say that the federal agent who hastily used his firearm was in the right. We mourn the death of young Petti, who departed the world at a young age. 

However, his actions of going to a place where he absolutely should not have brought a gun and fiercely resisting the agent's attempts to subdue him remain incomprehensible. 

By Reporter Lim Yo-hee