The US gun lobby group the National Rifle Association (NRA) has called for a “full investigation” by the Trump administration into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Pretti, a registered nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, was shot dead on Saturday during an operation involving immigration officers. The case has triggered protests in the city despite freezing temperatures.
State and federal officials have given different accounts of what happened. The Trump administration has said Pretti was carrying a gun and posed a threat to officers. However, no publicly available video shows him holding a weapon.
The NRA criticised comments made by a senior federal prosecutor, saying it was “dangerous and wrong” to suggest that people who legally carry guns risk being shot by police.
“Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalisations and demonising law-abiding citizens,” the NRA said in a statement.
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The group was responding to remarks by Bill Essayli, the First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California. Writing on social media on Saturday night, he said: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don’t do it!”
In a separate post, the NRA said that, as with any officer-involved shooting, there would be a “robust and comprehensive investigation” to determine whether the use of force was justified. It urged political figures to “lower the temperature” while the facts are established.
Essayli’s comments drew criticism from other gun rights groups and politicians. Gun Owners of America said the US Constitution protects the right to bear arms, including while protesting, and that the federal government must not interfere with that right.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie said, “Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a constitutionally protected God-given right.”
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Essayli later said his remarks had been taken out of context. “I never said it’s legally justified to shoot law-abiding concealed carriers,” he wrote on X. “My comment addressed agitators approaching law enforcement with a gun and refusing to disarm.”
This is the second fatal shooting this month in Minneapolis involving federal agents, linked to US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Bystander videos recorded moments before Pretti was shot, and footage from different angles has fuelled debate. The Department of Homeland Security released an image of a gun it said belonged to Pretti and described him as a threat.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents fired “defensive shots” while trying to disarm him. “I don’t know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign,” she said.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz rejected the federal account, calling it “nonsense” and “lies”. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey compared the operation to an invasion and accused ICE of trying to present the shooting as self-defence. Investigations by federal and state authorities are continuing.
