An expert has identified a detail which might have inadvertently led to the tragic death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last weekend.
The 37-year-old nurse, who cared for US military veterans, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota on Saturday, 24 January, just weeks after Renee Good suffered the same fate in the same city.
Federal immigration agents have been detaining a large number of people in recent months and are targeting Minneapolis in particular, due to it being home to the largest community of Somali immigrants in the US.
Pretti became the latest victim amongst anti-ICE protests, with the Trump administration once again claiming that he was acting violently.
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The president described him as a 'gunman' and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that he intended to 'massacre law enforcement' and do 'maximum damage'.
However, video footage from a number of sources in the days since Pretti's death have made it clear that these claims are not true whatsoever.
Witnesses have confirmed that Pretti was helping two women and was holding a phone to record what was happening, rather than brandishing a weapon at Border Patrol agents as those in politics would have you believe.
Further footage heartbreakingly captured the moment Pretti was pinned to the floor, pepper sprayed and then shot multiple times, despite agents seemingly having the situation in complete control and taking the weapon that the nurse was allegedly carrying, which he was committing no crimes by carrying under US law.
Warning: This video contains troubling footage from the moments before Pretti's death
And now, an expert has had his say on the handgun and why it might just have accidentally led to the US citizen's death.
Rob Doar, a lawyer for the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, suggests that Pretti’s gun could have gone off accidentally after the agent disarmed it, leading the other agent to open fire.
On X, he wrote: “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."
Had the agents heard a gunshot, it might well have made their fears more genuine, but the video footage certainly suggests that the shots were unnecessary given he had been disarmed and was left helpless on the floor.
Mr Pretti's family have spoken out to refute the claims made by Trump's administration, describing their son as a 'kind-hearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends'.
They said: "The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. 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.”
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, Crime
James Moorhouse