Alex Pretti, the protester who was shot and killed Saturday while clashing with federal agents, was carrying a Sig Sauer P320-AXG COMBAT, a high-capacity 9 mm pistol.
President Trump posted a photo of the handgun on social media.
The gun had a 20-21 round magazine, a threaded barrel, and was customized with a red-dot laser sight.
The firearm was the bestselling handgun in 2023. It is one of the more expensive pistols, retailing between $1,199 and $1,300, and comes with three 21-round magazines.
The P320 platform is used by the U.S. military and various law enforcement agencies.
Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the officers were responding to a man who had a gun with two magazines and fired “defensive shots.”
Video shows several agents wrestling him to the ground and shooting him multiple times in south Minneapolis early Saturday. Mr. Pretti was struck in the chest and taken to the hospital after CPR was performed at the scene.
It was the fifth shooting in January by government agents carrying out Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Mr. Pretti, 37, had a permit to legally carry a firearm, according to Minneapolis Police. But the Department of Homeland Security has said it is unlawful for protesters or observers to bring guns to demonstrations.
Members of Mr. Pretti’s family said they knew Mr. Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun, but they said they had never known him to carry it.
Mr. Pretti, an ICU nurse, was also a member of National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses, which has called for the “abolition of ICE.”
“The nation’s nurses, who make it their mission to care for and save human lives, are horrified and outraged that immigration agents have once again committed cold-blooded murder of a public observer who posed no threat to them,” the Nurses’ union said. “This time, they have executed one of our fellow nurses, Alex Pretti, who saved veterans’ lives as an intensive care unit RN for the Veterans Health Administration.”
National Nurses United called on senators not to support a Homeland Security appropriations bill that is up for approval this week, which could force a partial government shutdown.
Mr. Pretti’s family said he was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed getting into adventures with Joule, his Catahoula Leopard dog, who recently died.
“He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,” said Michael Pretti, Alex’s father. “He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. … So he did participate in protests.”
Mr. Pretti was a U.S. citizen, born in Illinois. Court records showed he did not have a criminal record. His only interactions with law enforcement were a handful of traffic tickets.
In a recent conversation, his parents, who live in Colorado, told Mr. Pretti to be careful when protesting.
“We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,” Michael Pretti said. “And he said he knows that. He knew that.”
Pretti’s ex-wife, who lives in another state and had not spoken to him in two years, said she was not surprised he was involved in protests. She said he was a Democratic voter who also participated in the massive street protests following George Floyd’s death in 2020. She described him as someone who may shout at law enforcement officers at a protest, but not be physically confrontational.
Pretti lived alone and worked long hours as a nurse, but he was not a loner, his neighbors said, and would at times have friends over. While his neighbors were aware he had firearms, and he would sometimes shoot at a gun range, they were surprised at the idea that he might carry a pistol on the streets.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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