Was pretti shot in the back

1. What the videos and eyewitness filings show — a man restrained or crawling, not brandishing a gun

Multiple bystander videos, verified and analyzed by outlets including The New York Times, USA Today and the BBC, show Pretti being confronted, wrestled to the pavement, and in footage immediately before the lethal shots appearing face‑forward with his hands in front of him, crawling or attempting to move while not visibly holding a firearm ^{[1] [5] [4]}. Court filings from at least two witnesses state they did not see Pretti brandish a gun and one witness who filmed the event said agents tackled him as he tried to help someone who had been pushed down ^{[6] [7]}. These visual and sworn accounts directly contradict key elements of the federal narrative as reported so far ^[2].

2. The federal account and the disputed gun claim

The Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol have repeatedly stated that an agent fired in self‑defense after Pretti approached with a handgun and resisted attempts to disarm him; officials have publicized an image of a gun they say was involved and called the episode an attack ^{[8] [3]}. Border Patrol leadership said the agent who fired was experienced and their actions were justified, and local authorities were told Pretti had a permit to carry ^{[9] [10]}. That assertion remains central to the federal justification but is challenged by the video and witness accounts ^{[11] [12]}.

3. Video timing and a central point of contention — when the shots were fired

Detailed timeline reconstructions published by The New York Times and other outlets conclude that the fatal shots occurred after Pretti was already restrained on the ground — a finding that, if borne out by a full investigation, would be inconsistent with an immediate “approach with a handgun” self‑defense claim ^{[2] [1]}. Some footage appears to show an agent retrieving or pulling something from Pretti’s waist immediately before another agent draws and fires a weapon; other clips show agents pinning or punching him before shots are discharged ^{[4] [9] [11]}. Those visual sequences are at the core of why many witnesses, local officials and Pretti’s family dispute the federal account ^{[8] [12]}.

4. What is not yet established publicly — the forensic certainty about bullet trajectories

None of the reporting available here includes a public forensic or medical‑examiner finding specifying the entry‑wound locations or trajectories that would unequivocally settle whether Pretti was shot in the back. News organizations rely on video reconstruction, witness affidavits and officials’ statements; those sources strongly suggest he was shot while in a vulnerable position, but an official ballistic/medical report is not cited in the sources provided and therefore the precise directionality of the shots cannot be authoritatively stated from this record ^{[2] [1]}.

5. The broader context and competing narratives to watch

The federal framing of the shooting as a defensive response has political and operational consequences and has been criticized as premature by Minnesota officials and others who say the administration is “spinning” an account before investigations conclude ^{[10] [13]}. Conversely, Border Patrol emphasizes training and justification for the use of deadly force; investigators, journalists and protesters point to video and sworn statements that complicate that claim ^{[3] [7]}. The competing agendas — federal defense of agents versus calls for transparency and independent investigation — shape how the evidence is being interpreted and reported ^[13].