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.
Pretti, 37, was killed by a Border Patrol agent during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in the
Minnesota city early Saturday morning.
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.
Department 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 someone at the scene shouted 'gun, gun,' bystander video showed. It's unclear whether the remark is a reference to Pretti's alleged weapon or a federal agent's gun.
Videos do not clearly show who fired the first shot, but one gun expert has said he believes Pretti's Sig Sauer P320 went off, prompting the agent to open fire.
'I believe 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,' Rob Dobar, a lawyer for the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, wrote on X.
Dobar's analysis comes as a federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order banning the Trump administration from 'destroying or altering evidence' related to the death of Pretti. It has not been confirmed whether Pretti's gun fired any shots.
The handgun that intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was carrying when he was shot dead in Minneapolis has a history of unintentionally discharging.
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