Two US agents who fired on Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have been placed on leave as the Trump administration continues to face national outrage over the protester's death.
Meanwhile, a shaky political truce between President Donald Trump and local leaders appears to be deteriorating after the US president warned the mayor was "playing with fire".
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the two officers had been on "administrative leave" since Saturday, when Mr Pretti was shot dead during a protest against a local immigration crackdown.
A CBP spokesperson told the ABC it was "standard protocol" for the agents to be placed on leave. The agency has not said if action has been taken in relation to other agents involved.
US government workers placed on administrative leave continue to be paid, including when their conduct is under investigation, according to a government fact sheet.
The confirmation contradicts an earlier statement by Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, a leader of the operations in Minnesota, who said on Sunday the agents were still working but could be assigned to administrative duties.
Mr Bovino has since been redeployed from Minnesota. Mr Trump described him as a "pretty out-there kind of guy" and said: "Maybe that wasn't good here."
A preliminary report on Tuesday, local time, undermined officials' earlier suggestions that Mr Pretti was an aggressor who brandished a gun — claims that were also contradicted by bystander video.
The CBP report said two agents fired at Mr Pretti after he refused to follow an order to move out of the street.
'Playing with fire'
White House border tsar Tom Homan is now leading operations on the ground. Mr Trump said his deployment meant "we can start doing maybe a little bit more relaxed".
"We'd like to finish the job and finish it well, and I think we can do it in a de-escalated form," he told ABC America.
But he was apparently angered by comments from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said local officers would not enforce federal immigration laws and would instead "remain focused on keeping our neighbours and streets safe".
Mr Trump said he was surprised by Mr Frey's comments after they had "a very good conversation" a day earlier.
"Could someone in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!" Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In response, Mr Frey wrote on X that he wanted local police "preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to [Minneapolis] and is from Ecuador".
