Killing of armed Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti ignites 2A debate in conservative Shasta County
Second Amendment supporters in Shasta County including some with connections to a local militia, weigh in on topics including the right to carry at protests and the federal government’s current approach to immigration enforcement.
Since last week, when two ICE officers fired 10 rounds into the body of anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti on a street in Minneapolis, Americans from across the political spectrum have come to his defense.
Concern about the federal government’s actions, perhaps surprisingly, is also coming from voices within Shasta’s deeply conservative majority — including some affiliated with the Cottonwood Militia, which has previously organized to support law enforcement during social justice protests.
Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse and American citizen, had a permit to openly carry a firearm. But his decision to do in Minneapolis led federal officials like FBI Director Kash Patel to accuse him of intending violence.
“No one who wants to be peaceful shows up at a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines,” Patel said, around the same time that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist.”
The focus on Pretti’s gun has concerned some who have supported the Trump administration and ICE actions more generally, including Woody Clendenen, one of the founders of the Cottonwood Militia, who recently moved to Texas but maintains involvement with the local group.
“I believe he absolutely had the right to carry while he was at the protest,” Clendenen told a reporter today. “That being said, you never have a right to impede law enforcement … I hope they conduct a transparent investigation to get to the bottom of it.”
Dan Scoville, the current leader of the Cottonwood Militia, feels similarly. “Yes, we have a God-given right to protect ourselves,” Scoville told a reporter. “The Second Amendment is written for all of us, as long as you are a law abiding citizen. But, he added, Pretti “chose to be there and put himself in a dangerous situation.”
Scoville also said that what’s unfolding in Minneapolis “could have benefited from better leadership,” referring not to President Donald Trump’s leadership but to that of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who Scoville accused of “allowing lawlessness.”
Jesse Lane is also a member of the Cottonwood Militia where he helps run a summer survival camp for female youth. His perspective takes the issues further. Lane described ICE’s massive crackdown to a reporter yesterday as “authoritarianism.”
“I’m willing to lose friends over it,” Lane said, adding that “the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments are there for everyone.”
His mention of Constitutional protections mirrors others concerns about ICE actions over the last year, including the failure to produce warrants when arresting immigrants, targeting immigrants on the basis of their political beliefs, and the denial of an arrested immigrant’s right to due process, which together have posed concerns for constitutional violations of the Fourth, First, and Fifth Amendments respectively.
Lane took particular issue with Shasta residents who have continued to honor Kyle Rittenhouse — the 17-year-old who shot three and killed two people during a 2020 protest in the state of Wisconsin — while refusing to stand with Pretti, who also arrived at a protest armed.
The militia member expressed empathy for those who choose to cross the border illegally due to the difficulty of their circumstances, as well as skepticism about the current administration’s motives for ICE actions. Lane also called out Trump for failing to keep pace with deportations under former President Barack Obama. “And there was no police state then,” he added.
The rapid mobilization of militarized operatives — and the fear experienced by the communities they target — is something local businessman Carlos Zapata described as “feeling very third world to me.”
Zapata has no formal affiliation with the Cottonwood Militia, but said he’s close to current members and has attended meetings in the past. He’s well known locally for his political organizing against COVID mandates during the pandemic, a particularly destabilizing time in Shasta County. One day before J6, a group of angry protestors stormed Shasta’s board of supervisors building and threatened supervisors over a combination of frustrations largely related to COVID mandates.
In remarks to a reporter today, Zapata was careful to clarify that he’s not anti law enforcement. But he also likened ICE to an “occupying force,” suggesting that the debate over immigration policy is almost secondary to the current conduct of immigration enforcement. “Government overreach is government overreach,” Zapata said.
While he continues to accuse the left of being overly compliant with the pandemic-era restrictions that still he feels were violations of individual liberties, Zapata says he sees the right’s uncritical support of ICE as a similar kind of “hypocrisy.”
Asked if his current convictions are consistent with the highly publicized remarks he made at the county’s public meetings in 2020 — most famously his implication that he and others might be pushed to engage in a violent revolt against the government — Zapata said that his principles remain fundamentally the same even if his tactics and political perspective have changed.
Noting that he’s been a Democrat in the past, then a Republican, and now an independent, Zapata believes that certain issues can’t be cleanly categorized into partisan categories. He also noted that his perspective on ICE is partially shaped by the fact that he’s the son of immigrants, saying “it hits closer to home for me, I’m not saying we should have open borders … honest people should have a path to citizenship.”
1.30.26 8:58 am: We have corrected the location where Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people in 2020.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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I never thought in a million years that I would agree with either of those two men but here we are. Good for them for not being hypocrites
1. Don’t record ICE.
2. Don’t you dare carry a gun around ICE.
3. Don’t ask ICE for a warrant. They will tell you they don’t need one.
So let’s see…that takes out the 1st, 2nd, and also 4th amendments of the Constitution.
You know, that same old Constitution that some of you people call the law of the land that trumps all other laws??
They also threw overboard the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment like so much trash.
They should have followed your rules.
So by your logic, why should we even bother to have that pesky constitution?
Sound argument, bro.
He’d be alive. That sounds better bro.
Better to die a free man, than to live in bondage.
And again you’re throwing out constitutional rights, bro. So no more posts about your constitutional rights, when you don’t care about the constitutional rights of everyone else.
Thanks, Nevin. It’s commendable that you reached out to the militia to compare their love of Constitutional rights with their support for Trump, and Shasta Scout offers a non-biased report, so we can use our critical thinking to form opinions.
It’s good to see that Carlos has become an Independent and to see some movement among these militia members. But to be clear, most militia support Trump, and the majority of militia members nationwide would vote for him again in a heartbeat! Most also strongly support the ICE so-called mission, and it’s likely that many have joined ICE or the Border Patrol, now the most-funded law enforcement agency in America.
Make no mistake, immigration is a distraction created by Trump and his administration, who are eager to invoke the Insurrection Act. The real reason behind attacking immigrants, whether documented or not, and attacking and killing nonviolent protesters, isn’t merely to build a white nation. Trump’s war on America also seeks to use lawless violence to intimidate all Americans into accepting and conforming to Trump’s and MAGA Republicans’ dominance.
Trump, Steven Miller, and their associates K. Noem, P. Bondia, Kash Patel, B. Hegseth, and V.P. Vance are using ICE, the Border Patrol, and the National Guard as their own private Gestapo. And if you’re a citizen engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience to oppose this King’s Madness, you will be labeled a domestic terrorist and might get shot in the back or the face. So, let’s face it, when it comes to the militia, questions must be asked:
Does it matter that Trump is a white nationalist who publicly ruminates about using martial law and even suspending elections, or that many militia members enthusiastically responded to Trump’s call to arms during the 06 Insurrection, hoping to overthrow the United States of America
Does it matter that Trump is a court-adjudicated rapist and a convicted 34-count felon who recently claimed that, as commander in chief, he is constrained not by law, but only by his “own morality,” or that Trump openly calls himself a “dictator” and recently said he’s “okay with being called a fascist?” After all, the militia’s beloved Confederate Flag is a symbol of America’s first Nazis, and Hitler praised the Southern Confederacy as a model for governance!
Does it matter that Federal Judge Schiltz just listed 96 specific court orders and laws that ICE violated in 74 cases in only one month, in just Minnesota alone, or that ICE is breaking down doors without a valid warrant, using “deceptive tactics” to gain entry, detaining citizens or lawful residents, and violating the search and seizure protections of the Fourth Amendment.
Nothing is mentioned by the militia in the article about denying fair hearings, detaining individuals without legal process, or putting over 27,000 people in pop-up, privately run camps, violating the due process rights of the Fourth Amendment.
Nothing is said about violating the right to record, photograph, or protest against activities in public spaces or petition for a “redress of grievances” under the First Amendment.
Nothing is mentioned about militia members threatening, “we know where you live,” and attacking local media and citizens. BUT now suddenly, what the militia members are really upset about is Trump’s so-called attack on the 2nd Amendment.
What is happening right now is exactly what all the militias and MAGAs said would happen if Joe Biden were elected! And can you imagine what the militia would have done if Obama, whom Trump – MAGA calls a born-in-Africa Black Muslim, had done any of what Trump is doing today?
Sure, the militia has the same 1st Amendment rights as everyone else, and yes, we all love our country, children, and are trying to get by just like everyone else, especially as Trump is damaging our economy. But voting for and supporting Trump while clutching pearls about the 2nd Amendment is a sad commentary on the limited worldview of the militia.
‘Scoville also said that what’s unfolding in Minneapolis “could have benefited from better leadership,” referring not to President Donald Trump’s leadership but to that of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who Scoville accused of “allowing lawlessness.” ‘
Oh no, no, no, nothing bad can EVER be the responsibility of the amazing and wonderful Donald Trump. Daddy is always right.
Also, kudos to Lane and Zapata for seemingly having actual principles. It is refreshing to see that some right-wingers have values that don’t only go as far as their political party and Fox News dictates at the moment.
It’s great to have an opinion about the second amendment And Carry rights. I think it’s also important to remember what you were taught in classes before you received your Carry permit. It’s also a good idea to wait until all the evidence comes out before casting judgment. It tends to bite people in the ass.
Jon, take your own advice.
But once the evidence does come out, don’t call it “fake news” just because you don’t like it.
““chose to be there and put himself in a dangerous situation.” . Pretti was LEGALLY there as US citizen to keep check on the unlawful actions of a ICE and he will be remembered as a patriot who gave all for his nation.
Thank you for your response
Randy, that dude set himself up for failure and everyone w a concealed carry permit knows that. He is not ever going to be remembered. American media will keep him in the news cycle for a week or two. And ICE is enforcing our immigration laws. That dude was spitting on them and kicking at the cars. Reminds me of a line from Reservoir Dogs: “If they hadn’t done what I told ’em not to do, they’d still be alive.” Think about that Randy.
He was an American citizen using his constitutional right to bear an arm.
In America, we are supposed to have freedom of religion, and also freedom of speech, because not everyone believes in same thing or has the same opinion.
He thought he was trying to help the underdog and stand up for them. So for that he deserves death?
and chose to be there and put himself in a dangerous situation, even though legally. He chose poorly, and reaped.
” I hope they conduct a transparent investigation to get to the bottom of it.” . Everyone should want this. The Trump DOJ has sealed out all independent investigations. Why???
Please do your research. Rittenhouse was in Wisconsin, not Washington!
Um… it does say Wisconsin, not Washington.
MrT.: Thanks for your feedback and our apologies. We have corrected with correction notice at bottom.
I appreciate that SS did this article without the usual partisan media name calling. It’s interesting to see how following a constitutional principal can create strange bedfellows. At Zapata’s bull riding event last summer, the MC thanked the “brave men and women of space force” –which drew a few chuckles from the other veterans being honored. Life creates these moments.
Friends don’t let friends carry condition zero P320s
The video of him spitting and kicking law enforcement vehicles was a similar aha-moment to the video of Goode parked horizontal, honking her horn. Hopefully others will learn from those poor life decisions. Flies get swatted.
“Flies get swatted.”
If that were universally applied, 1,000+ January 6 insurrectionists would be dead.
But they weren’t because Biden is a wimp.
Biden wasn’t POTUS on Jan 6—Trump was—so it would have been difficult for Biden to order federal LE to shoot at and kill the rioters.
Is your condition physically painful, NC? I’m guessing it’s more a feeling of numbness.
“If she didn’t want to be gang-r@ped, maybe she shouldn’t have worn those high-heels.” — NC
False equivalence
Nope-pretty much the same logic. Maybe if you weren’t so invested in gaslighting yourself by taking an active role in warping reality to fit your political perspective, you would see that.
Though I guess I should rest easy knowing that, even if we don’t see eye-to-to eye about this, at least we both know that if Alex Pretti had been a right-wing protester murdered execution style by masked governmnet agents under the direction of Joe Biden, your reaction would be the EXACT same–becasue your inate values and principles are absoltuely unwavering and pure as the driven snow–and would never shift depending on what “side” you happen to be on, right? I mean at least there is that. So good for you.
Since when is the punishment for “kicking a vehicle” execution in the street? And you don’t mind that the agents were acting as judge, jury, and executioners? “Flies get swatted”? There’s this thing we used to have called due process. The callous lack of regard for human life these days is amazing. The side that considers themselves the moral majority is the side flippantly excusing murderers. It’s a joke.
The video of him kicking and spitting on law enforcement was a week or so before. He had a pattern of bad decisions. He needed to go.
The shooting wasn’t “punishment,” it was the result of Pretti putting himself in a position where, in the moment, it was not unreasonable to shoot him.
Putting aside the questionable decision to physically insert himself into a law enforcement operation while carrying, the pistol he chose to carry is so notorious for discharging “uncommanded” that many of the top pistol training facilities ban its use including Gunsite Academy, Rangemaster, and IDPA. Many law enforcement agencies do too, including ICE, Oregon State Police Academy, the SF, Dallas, Milwaukee, Chicago Police Departments, etc.
It is very much looking like an ICE agent suffered a negligent (“accidental”) discharge with Pretti’s P320 well after disarming Pretti. The other agents, hearing this gunshot after being warned “gun gun gun” reasonably (but mistakenly) opened fire.
DHS has unofficially admitted this is what happened:
“As a result of the accidental discharge, which happened while the gun was in a Border agent’s hand, other officers may have believed their lives were in danger — resulting in the split-second decision to open fire on Pretti, killing him, multiple sources familiar with the investigation said.
…
“It was 100% an accidental discharge by the agent that relieved that person of their weapon. Because everyone’s guns were out, they think that there’s a shooting,” one source said.”
One of the bystander videos appears to show the moment the P320 discharged outside of the scrum: https://youtube.com/shorts/K156-_6Zq7k
Swing and a miss . . . like usual. You can do better.