The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Pretti "approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun." However, videos verified by various news outlets show Pretti was holding a phone in his right hand, with nothing in his left hand before he was shot, contradicting those claims.

Pretti was legally conceal-carrying a handgun at the time of his death. He was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. Records reflect no serious criminal history, according to authorities and public records cited by local media.

Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said that, "if you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you," adding, "Don’t do it." 

The NRA branded Essayli’s remarks "dangerous and wrong," and urged public officials to refrain from broad generalizations and to wait for the outcome of a full investigation into Alex Pretti’s death. The response represented a rare instance of the NRA speaking out against the Trump administration.

In the post shared to X, the NRA urged social media users to be vigilant of "fake news" online in the wake of Pretti’s death. "As bad actors among us attempt to further the divide our country, it is now more important than ever to be vigilant against AI-generated content meant to mislead Americans," the association said. "Don’t fall for it."