Fatal ICE shooting of Alex Pretti could have been 'caused by agent misfiring victim’s gun'
The fatal shooting of nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents could have been sparked by one of the officers accidentally firing the victim’s gun, it has emerged.
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Before being shot dead, Mr Pretti’s gun was seized by one of the agents as he lies on the ground while being beaten.
In footage posted online, the agent can be seen running away with Pretti’s 9mm pistol. As he leaves, a gunshot can be heard.
It is believed this may have caused the other agents to open fire on Mr Pretti as he lay unarmed and defenceless on the ground.
Mr Pretti, 37, was legally entitled to have a handgun under the state’s concealed carry laws.
Rob Doar, a lawyer and the president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Centre, said “After analysing the videos, 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.”
Tim Walz, the state governor, has demanded that Donald Trump withdraws the “3,000 untrained agents” from Minnesota “before they kill another American in the street”.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump said: “We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.
“At some point we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done a phenomenal job,” he said.
Graphic footage taken by an onlooker shows the moment Mr Pretti was gunned down by federal agents in front of terrified protesters.
Another clip shows him attempting to stand between federal agents and a person one of them has just shoved to the floor.
Videos from the scene appear to show Mr Pretti beings restrained on the ground, with claims by the Department of Homeland Security that he "brandished" a gun being slammed as "lies" by critics, including the victim's family.
Protesters spray-painted the hotel's facade and reportedly broke windows during demonstrations.
Others chanted, drummed and paced outisde holding signs in front of the building assumed to be housing agents.
While the family says ICE carried out the fatal shooting, it was actually condcuted by officers from the Department for Homeland Security (DHS).
The DHS claims one of its officers fired "defensive shots" towards the man who reportedly "approached with a gun".
However, analysis of the footage has also appeared to contradict claims Mr Pretti posed an immediate threat to officers.
A family statement reads: "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," the family said in a statement.
“Please get the truth out about our son... He was a good man,” the statement adds.
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey has described the shooting as featuring "six masked agents pummelling one of our constituents and shooting him to death.
"He also asked how many more residents and "how many more Americans need to get badly hurt or die before the operation ends.
"Minnesota governor Tim Walz described it as "sickening" - and said Donald Trump must "pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers" out of the city.
He said: “I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning.
“This is sickening. The president must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”