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Alex Pretti shooting: Border Patrol agents frantically search for suspect's weapon in chilling video; 'where's the gun?'
Alex Jeffrey Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, with federal authorities saying a firearm and two magazines were recovered.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident came amid simmering tensions after Renee Nicole Good was shot by an ICE agent, Jonathan Ross, towards the start of January. Pretti was reportedly shot after a confrontation with federal agents, videos of the incident showed.
As per federal authorities, the Border Patrol agents had to fire in ‘defense’. They identified Pretti as a ‘suspect’ and said that a firearm with two magazines were recovered from him. President Donald Trump also pointed to Pretti carrying a gun in his Truth Social post, which was later shared on the official White House X handle.
“This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!,” Trump wrote. The rest of his post was slammed Minnesota's Democrat politicians including Ilhan Omar.
Despite the claims, videos from the incident appeared to show that Pretti was disarmed before he was fired at. A clip shared from the scene appeared to show an agent walk away from the scuffle with what looked like Pretti's weapon. Sometime after that the shots rang out, meaning he would have been unarmed at the time, if it had indeed been his weapon.
CNN video analysis also showed that the gun had been taken from Pretti before the fatal shooting.
Also Read | Who killed Alex Pretti? Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino shares details about agent involved in Minneapolis shooting
Now, a new video has emerged shining light on the matter.
Alex Pretti shooting: New video emerges
A new video has emerged where federal agents are allegedly heard searching for the weapon after Pretti's shooting.
The post sharing the video wrote: “In footage from the immediate aftermath of the shooting today in Minneapolis of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, agents with Border Patrol and Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) can be seen searching for a gun, with one clearly stating, “Where’s the gun?” The agent in grey who was seen removing the gun from the waistband of Pretti before the shooting then says that he has it. More evidence suggesting that Pretti was unarmed when shot by agents in Minneapolis.”
Someone could be heard shouting ‘where’s the gun' in the video, before someone else replies they've ‘got it’.
However, authorities have not officially commented on the matter.
Another page, sharing conservative views, claimed the gun fell from Pretti's possession after the first shot was fired. They shared what they said was a ‘slowed down and enlarged video’.
HT.com could not independently verify the claims of Alex Pretti being unarmed.
Gun or no gun, the shooting has divided the MAGA base as well. Conservative podcaster Tim Pool, who's usually a Trump supporter, remarked “Empty hand, then gun in hand. Appears the man may have been disarmed before being shot. This is a chain of events in a greater conflict. Neither side cares at this point what justifies it or doesnt. I don't see Trump winning this one.”
Local authorities have confirmed that Pretti was licensed to carry a gun, and stated that he had no notable past criminal record apart from a few parking tickets.
