An expert has revealed a detail about Alex Pretti’s gun, suggesting it could provide a possible hint as to why the agent shot him during the ICE protest.
Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot and killed by federal immigration and Border Patrol agents on January 24 during a controversial enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the man was armed with a 9mm handgun and “violently resisted” efforts to disarm him.
DHS claims an agent shot the nurse in self-defense after feeling threatened by the alleged weapon. However, multiple eyewitnesses and video footage have strongly challenged that version of events.
Videos shared online show the late healthcare professional holding a phone, not a weapon, and clearly documenting the incident.
Despite being pepper-sprayed and pinned to the ground by officers, no footage shows him threatening the agents with a firearm.
Expert Analysis: Could the Gun Have Gone Off Accidentally?
Adding a new layer to the controversy, Rob Doar, a lawyer for the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, suggested that the tragic outcome may have been linked to a negligent discharge of Pretti’s alleged firearm.
In a post on X, Doar speculated: “I believe it’s highly likely the first shot was a negligent discharge from the agent in the gray jacket after he removed the Sig P320 from Pretti’s holster while exiting the scene.”
Doar’s theory casts doubt on the official narrative as clips appear to show that the nurse had already been disarmed and was helplessly pinned to the ground when the shots rang out.
If the gun did discharge accidentally, the agents may have been reacting out of fear, but the video raises serious questions about the need for deadly force at that moment.
The Fallout: Family, Witnesses, and Political Reactions
Pretti’s family has strongly rejected the government’s portrayal of their son as a violent threat.
In a statement, they condemned DHS for spreading what they called “sickening lies” about Pretti’s actions.
“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.”
They also issued a plea: “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
As protests continued across the country, political figures on both sides weighed in on the incident.
Former President Bill Clinton expressed his support for action, saying: “It is up to all of us who believe in the promise of American democracy to stand up, speak out, and show that our nation still belongs to We the People.”
Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama also weighed in with a rare joint statement, calling the shooting “a heartbreaking tragedy” and warning that “core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.”
“This has to stop,” they said. "These unprecedented tactics...have now resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S citizens."
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump defended the role of firearms in the incident, commenting in a Wall Street Journal interview: “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it.
"But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either,” he added.