Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor Bill Essayli double down on his full-throated support for immigration agents following the fatal shooting in Minneapolis of anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti.
“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!” Essayli warned in a post on X hours after an ICE agent shot and killed Pretti, who officials say was armed.
Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse who joined in the burgeoning anti-ICE protest movement in the Twin Cities, was carrying a loaded Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol and two full magazines when he was killed after allegedly trying to stop federal agents from arresting a woman on the street.
Police said he was legally permitted to carry the weapon.
Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus attorney Rob Doar said he believes Pretti’s firearm accidentally discharged after the agent grabbed it, which led to another agent to open fire.
Essayli’s defense of the shooting — which sparked mass protests in Minneapolis over the weekend — drew condemnation from an unlikely source, the NRA, which argued that Pretti was legally allowed to carry his gun.
“This sentiment from the First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California is dangerous and wrong,” the NRA said on X.
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“Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
Newsom jumped into the fray with his own X post in response to the Second Amendment advocacy group’s criticism.
“Wow, even the NRA thinks Trump’s DOJ stooge in California has gone too far for claiming federal agents were ‘legally justified’ to kill Alex Pretti,” he wrote.
Lobbying group Gun Owners of America joined the NRA in denouncing Essayli’s remarks.
“The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting — a right the federal government must not infringe upon.”
In response, Essayli accused the group of deliberately twisting his words.
“I never said it’s legally justified to shoot law-abiding concealed carriers,” he wrote in a follow-up post on X.
“My comment addressed agitators approaching law enforcement with a gun and refusing to disarm,” he clarified.
“My advice stands: If you value your life, do not aggressively approach law enforcement while armed. If they reasonably perceive a threat and you fail to immediately disarm, they are legally permitted to use deadly force.”
The shooting came less than three weeks after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, 37, an anti-ICE protester who clipped an agent with her SUV as she tried to evade arrest.
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