Shocking history of handgun Alex Pretti was carrying when he was shot by Border Patrol is revealed... as judge bans Trump administration from 'destroying evidence' from scene
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.
After Pretti was disarmed, videos do not clearly show where the first shot came from but one gun expert has said he believes Pretti's Sig Sauer P320 went off in the hands of an agent, prompting another 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.
Alex Pretti, 37, was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis early Saturday
New angles showed Minneapolis shooting victim Alex Pretti confronting federal agents before being pepper-sprayed and shot down
US District Judge Eric Tostrud, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, issued the injunction Saturday evening, ordering federal agencies to preserve all evidence in the Minneapolis shooting.
Evidence that was allegedly already removed from the scene or taken into exclusive federal custody is subject to the temporary injunction, 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 said during a news conference that Pretti, an intensive care nurse who protested Trump's immigration crackdown in his city, had shown up to 'impede a law enforcement operation'.
Noem has questioned why Pretti was armed but did not offer details about whether he drew the weapon or brandished it at officers.
Police Chief Brian O'Hara said officers believe Pretti was a 'lawful gun owner with a permit to carry'.
The P320 is widely carried by Americans and US law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the New York Post reported.
There are also more than 100 complaints that the model is defective and can fire 'uncommanded'.
Pretti was armed with P320 AXG Combat, photographs revealed. The high-end custom variant of the weapon allegedly holds three 21-round magazines and retails for upwards of $1,300.
This is the Sig Sauer P320 semi-automatic rifle that authorities say Alex Pretti was carrying at the time of the fatal shooting
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 off
State and city officials on Saturday filed a lawsuit against DHS, ICE, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and their leadership over the fatal shooting of Pretti.
The complaint alleges that 'the defendants, and those acting at their direction and under their authority, took from the scene of the shooting, preventing state authorities from inspecting it'.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has called for a 'full, impartial, and transparent investigation' into the shooting.
'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.
'Minnesota law enforcement is currently carrying out such an investigation, and it is essential that the evidence collected by federal agents is preserved and turned 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.'
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty echoed his claims, stating that her team 'will not rest, until we have done everything in our power, everything within our authority, to achieve transparency and accountability'.
She added that her office has the jurisdiction to review the shooting for 'potential criminal conduct by the federal agents involved' and has vowed to do so.
Judge Tostrud has scheduled a hearing for Monday to review the temporary restraining order.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has questioned why Pretti was armed but did not offer details about whether he drew the weapon or brandished it at officers
US District Judge Eric Tostrud (left) issued a temporary restraining order Saturday evening ordering federal agencies to preserve all evidence in the Minneapolis shooting. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (right) has called for a 'full, impartial, and transparent investigation' into the shooting
The officer who shot Pretti is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran, federal officials said. The agent's identity has not yet been made public.
Gregory Bovino of US Border Patrol, who has commanded the administration's big-city immigration campaign, said the officer who shot the man had extensive training as a range safety officer and in using less-lethal force.
'This is only the latest attack on law enforcement. Across the country, the men and women of DHS have been attacked, shot at,' he said.
The shooting Saturday occurred when officers were pursuing a man in the country illegally wanted for domestic assault.
Protesters routinely try to disrupt such operations, and they sounded their high-pitched whistles, honked horns and yelled out at the officers.
Among them was Pretti. Bystander video shows the nurse standing in the street and holding up his phone. He is face-to-face with an officer in a tactical vest, who places his hand on Pretti and pushes him toward the sidewalk.
Pretti is talking to the officer, though it is not clear what he is saying.
The video shows protesters wandering in and out of the street while officers tried to convince them to desist. One protester was placed in handcuffs. Some officers were carrying pepper spray canisters.
Pretti can be seen again when the video shows an officer wearing tactical gear shoving a protester. The protester, who was wearing a skirt over black tights and holding a water bottle, reached out for Pretti.
The same officer shoved Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, could be seen in the street filming with his phone while a small group confronts a federal agent. His other hand appeared to be empty
Pretti is seen holding his phone and appearing to speak or film as he engages with federal agents
Pretti can be seen holding a bright, shiny object during a struggle with federal agents
A different video then showed Pretti moving toward another protester, who fell over after being shoved by the same officer. Pretti moved between the protester and the officer, reaching his arms out toward the officer.
The officer deployed pepper spray, and Pretti raised his hand and turned his face. The officer grabbed Pretti's hand to bring it behind his back and deployed the pepper spray canister again before pushing Pretti away.
Seconds later, at least a half-dozen federal officers surrounded Pretti, who was wrestled to the ground and hit several times. Several agents tried to bring Pretti's arms behind his back as he struggled.
Videos showed an officer, who was hovering over the scuffle with his right hand on Pretti's back, backing away from the group with what appeared to be a gun in his right hand just before the first shot was fired.
Someone shouted 'gun, gun' and the first shot could be heard.
Videos do not clearly show who fired the first shot. In one video, seconds before the first shot, one officer reached for his belt and appeared to draw his gun.
That same officer was seen with a gun to Pretti's back as three more shots rang out. Pretti slumped to the ground. Videos showed the officers backing away, some with guns drawn. More shots were fired.
DHS said Pretti was shot after he 'approached' Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun. Officials did not say whether Pretti, who was licensed to carry a concealed weapon, brandished the gun or kept it hidden.
An agency statement said officers fired 'defensive shots' after Pretti 'violently resisted' officers trying to disarm him.
Pretti can be seen being pepper sprayed by agents in the moments before his killing
Pretti could be seen trying to assist a women who was on the ground when officers stepped in
Officers are seen kneeling next to Pretti after being shot moments earlier
The family of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, the Minneapolis intensive care nurse fatally shot by a federal immigration officer, issued a searing statement accusing the Trump administration of spreading 'sickening lies'
Pretti was shot just over a mile from where an ICE officer killed 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7, sparking widespread protests.
Pretti's family released a statement Saturday evening saying they are 'heartbroken but also very angry', while remembering him as a kindhearted soul who wanted to make a difference in the world through his work as a nurse.
'The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,' they said.
'Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.
'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.
'Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.'
