It doesn’t matter if Alex Pretti had a gun
TL;DR
Federal agents claimed Alex Pretti was armed, but evidence suggests he was unarmed and holding a phone when shot. The incident raises questions about law enforcement narratives and Second Amendment implications.
Shortly after federal agents killed Alex Pretti Saturday morning, the Department of Homeland Security began to run with the story that the dead man had been armed and dangerous. He had a gun, DHS said. (A Bellingcat analysis of the video concludes that Pretti was unarmed when he was shot.) He had approached the agents holding the gun, DHS said. (He was holding a phone, The New York Times reports.) Pretti died on his knees, surrounded by armed Border Patrol agents, with shot after shot unloaded in his direction.
America's Second Amendment is beloved by conservatives. Minnesota allows open carry with a permit. Pretti lived in a city where pe …