How did Alex pretti die? Did he have a gun?

1. How Pretti died: shot by a Border Patrol agent during an immigration operation

Federal agents shot and killed Pretti during an immigration enforcement action in Minneapolis; the shooting occurred in the street after agents had detained another person and a confrontation with bystanders developed, and the incident was captured on multiple videos that were posted and analyzed by news organizations ^{[2] [1]}. Federal agencies have characterized the use of lethal force as self‑defense by agents on scene ^[3], while local officials and community members have described the event as part of a sequence of confrontations that have left Minneapolis on edge after recent federal operations ^{[2] [1]}.

2. Did he have a gun? Conflicting official claim versus eyewitness and video evidence

The Department of Homeland Security and related federal statements assert that Pretti was armed with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun when he “approached” Border Patrol officers, and federal imagery released appears intended to show a weapon linked to the scene ^{[3] [5]}. Yet multiple independent video analyses and eyewitness accounts—cited by NBC News, BBC, Al Jazeera and others—report that the footage does not show Pretti brandishing a weapon while he was confronting agents and that people nearby saw him holding a phone and using a free hand to shield a woman who was being pepper‑sprayed ^{[4] [6] [7] [8]}.

3. Evidence that agents removed a handgun from Pretti’s waistband, and the journalistic parsing of that claim

A Washington Post video analysis concluded that agents removed a handgun from near Pretti’s waistband moments before he was subsequently shot multiple times, a detail that complicates but does not on its own resolve questions about whether Pretti was armed or posed an imminent threat at the exact moment force was used ^[1]. Local reporting and professional commentators note that frames extracted from footage and images released by DHS have been interpreted differently by specialists—some suggesting the retrieved gun matches what an agent was later seen holding—while others point to angles where Pretti appears restrained or unarmed ^{[9] [1]}.

4. Family, witnesses and public reaction: claims of innocence and calls for accountability

Pretti’s parents and supporters insist he was not holding a gun when agents tackled and pepper‑sprayed him, calling official narratives “sickening lies” and demanding a full, transparent investigation; community vigils, large fundraisers and statements from organizations such as the American Nurses Association reflect widespread outrage and calls for answers ^{[8] [7] [10] [11]}. At the same time, senior administration officials and some federal spokespeople framed the event as an attack on law enforcement, and political figures immediately advanced interpretations that suit competing public narratives ^{[12] [13]}.

5. What is known, what remains disputed, and the legal/investigative next steps

Key documented facts are that Pretti was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent during a Minneapolis operation and that multiple videos of the encounter exist and have been analyzed by major news outlets ^{[2] [1]}. Disputed facts include whether Pretti was actively armed or had the gun in his waistband only after being disarmed by agents; investigators, prosecutors and courts will need to reconcile video, forensic evidence and witness testimony—the Minnesota attorney general has sought evidence preservation and a judge ordered federal agencies not to destroy related materials as litigation and probes continue ^[1]. Public reporting to date does not produce a single, uncontested factual timeline that settles every question about who held a gun, when it was displayed or who perceived an imminent threat.