In the frozen aftermath of Minneapolis’s bloodiest weekend yet, a leading forensic video analyst has dropped a bombshell that’s rocking the nation: a “strange” and overlooked detail in the chaotic footage of Alex Pretti‘s fatal shooting by federal Border Patrol agents that casts massive doubt on the government’s self-defense claims and screams for answers.

The 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System—beloved for his warmth, his dedication to veterans, and his quiet life of mountain biking and caring for his late dog Joule—was gunned down on January 24, 2026, in broad daylight near 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue. Multiple bystander videos, synchronized and verified across major outlets, captured the horror: Pretti filming agents with his phone, one hand raised protectively as he checked on a pepper-sprayed woman shoved to the ground, asking “Are you OK?” before agents tackled him, wrestled him down, and unleashed a barrage.

Officials insisted Pretti approached “with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun,” intent on “maximum damage” and attacking law enforcement. But frame-by-frame breakdowns now reveal a chilling inconsistency that forensic experts say screams foul play—or at the very least, catastrophic overreach.

The “strange” moment? According to top video forensics specialists reviewing the multi-angle footage, Pretti is clearly disarmed—his licensed firearm removed from his waistband by an agent in a grey jacket—before the first shot rings out. In synchronized clips, the agent emerges from the scrum holding what appears to be Pretti’s gun, his hands previously empty. Less than a second later, another agent opens fire, followed by a rapid 10-shot fusillade in under five seconds, per audio forensic analysis from experts like Montana State University’s Robert Maher. Pretti lies pinned, motionless, offering no resistance, yet agents continue pumping rounds into his back and body.

One gun expert likened Pretti’s weapon to a “great big John Wayne revolver” in size and visibility, yet stressed the critical timeline: “He is clearly disarmed before he’s shot. The gun is out of his possession, secured by an agent, and only then do they start firing.” Another analyst noted the eerie absence of immediate recognition among the team—did the shooters even know their colleague had neutralized the supposed threat? The delay, the continued barrage, the fact that Pretti never brandished or fired his weapon—these elements form a “strange” sequence that contradicts the narrative of imminent deadly force.

Multiple independent reviews hammer the point home. Frame-by-frame assessments show Pretti holding his phone—not a gun—when agents first engage him. He waves cars around, directs traffic in the chaotic street, and shields the downed woman amid pepper spray clouds. Witnesses, including a children’s entertainer filming nearby and a physician watching from an apartment, swear he never threatened anyone. Yet federal claims of Pretti “approaching with a handgun to massacre” persist, even as videos show him compliant until tackled.

The forensic spotlight now turns to that split-second disarming: Why fire at all once the gun was secured? Why 10 shots in under five seconds into a subdued man? Audio forensics confirm the rapid-fire cadence, with no pause for de-escalation. Experts question training—Border Patrol agents, deployed en masse for the Trump administration’s massive immigration sweeps, may lack experience in urban protest scenarios, leading to panic or poor judgment. One former DHS official called the official story unsupported by video evidence, labeling it a pattern of blaming victims without regard for facts.

This isn’t the first red flag in Minneapolis’s deadly federal crackdown. Pretti’s death marks the third shooting by immigration agents in weeks—following Renee Good’s fatal encounter and a non-fatal leg wound to another man. Protests rage, with thousands chanting “Justice for Alex” at vigils and makeshift shrines on Nicollet Avenue overflowing with candles, flowers, and signs reading “He Was Helping.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz blasted the feds’ narrative as “nonsense,” praising video evidence that shows a healer, not a threat. Pretti’s family, devastated, urges the public to see the truth: their son, phone in hand and empty palm raised, died trying to protect others.

The “strange” moment—the disarming before the deadly volley—has ignited furious debate. Was it a tragic miscommunication in the heat of the scrum? A failure to communicate that the threat was neutralized? Or something darker, with agents firing regardless once the chaos erupted? Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) leads the probe, with FBI assisting on forensics—but concerns swirl over evidence handling, including no documented chain of custody for Pretti’s firearm and agents’ weapons not immediately transferred for ballistic testing.

As calls mount for an independent investigation—bypassing HSI’s potential conflict—the overlooked detail refuses to fade. Forensic experts insist: in the final 30 seconds from engagement to the last shot, lethal force was used against a man who no longer posed any threat. Pretti, the warm-hearted nurse who always helped, became a symbol of overreach. His last words—”Are you OK?”—echo in the videos, a heartbreaking plea drowned out by gunfire.

The nation watches, horrified and divided. Protesters demand accountability; officials defend “defensive” actions. But that one strange, missed moment—the gun removed, the shots fired anyway—could unravel everything. How many more must die before the full truth emerges from the footage?