Moments after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on a Saturday, the Trump administration, supported by conservative influencers, initiated a disparagement campaign against him. Pretti was quickly branded a “terrorist” and a “lunatic.”
Pretti, aged 37, died following an encounter with several federal immigration agents. A colleague informed the Guardian that Pretti was an American citizen and a registered nurse employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Bystander video footage indicates Pretti was trying to assist a woman who had been pepper-sprayed by an agent when officers apprehended him.
Pretti’s death occurred just 17 days after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three.
During a Saturday press conference, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara stated that details regarding the events leading to Pretti’s fatal encounter were scarce. However, at a different press briefing, Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander supervising federal operations in Minneapolis, asserted that he possessed a complete understanding of the incident.
Bovino alleged that Pretti had approached officers with a 9-mm handgun, resisted attempts to disarm him, and was subsequently shot in what Bovino characterized as a clear act of self-defense. Bovino further claimed Pretti possessed two loaded magazines and no identification, asserting that Pretti intended to “massacre law enforcement.” The Border Patrol agent involved in the shooting, Bovino noted, had undergone extensive training.
The Department of Homeland Security echoed Bovino’s assertions in an X post that garnered over 17 million views. This narrative was then uncritically adopted by conservative media, including the Post Millenial, which ran a story headlined: “Armed agitator Alex Pretti appeared to want ‘maximum damage’ and to ‘massacre’ law enforcement when shot by BP in Minnesota.”
However, significant aspects of these claims are refuted by publicly accessible evidence.
Numerous videos circulated on social media immediately after the shooting reveal no indication of Pretti’s gun being visible as officers approached him. Investigations by The New York Times and Bellingcat concluded that Pretti was holding a phone, not a gun, when federal officers engaged him and forced him to the ground.
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social, attributed blame to Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota governor Tim Walz. Trump posted, “The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric,” including an image of a gun that DHS asserted Pretti carried when he was killed.
Vice President JD Vance supported Trump’s critique of local authorities, sharing a screenshot of the president’s Truth Social post and commenting on X: “When I visited Minnesota, what the ICE agents wanted more than anything was to work with local law enforcement so that situations on the ground didn’t get out of hand. The local leadership in Minnesota has so far refused to answer those requests.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also posted on X, amplifying criticism of Frey and Walz, and disparaging Pretti: “Shame on the leadership of Minnesota—and the lunatics in the street. ICE > MN.”
Governor Walz, during a press conference, dismissed the federal narrative as “nonsense.”
Walz stated that “Minnesota’s justice system will have the last word” on Pretti’s death, further remarking that “the federal government cannot be trusted with this investigation.”
Stephen Miller, Trump’s homeland security adviser, escalated the rhetoric in two posts, calling Pretti an “assassin” and a “terrorist.”
The Trump administration’s disparagement of Pretti was rapidly echoed by online supporters. Nick Sortor, among a contingent of right-wing influencers covering ICE’s operations in Minneapolis, incorrectly identified Pretti as an “illegal alien” and claimed he “was armed with a gun and attempted to PULL IT on agents as he was being apprehended.”
Family members confirmed Pretti was a US citizen, born in Illinois, and had no criminal record. Sortor’s assertions are inconsistent with video evidence.
Jack Posobiec, a conservative influencer with close ties to the White House, commented on X, referencing a video of the shooting: “It is most certainly illegal to disrupt federal law enforcement operations and doing so while armed is not only unlawful, it is a good way to get shot.”
Minneapolis police chief O’Hara clarified during a press conference that Pretti was believed to be “a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
Despite the Trump administration’s narrative, not all conservative figures fully endorsed it. Right-wing podcaster Tim Pool, for instance, called Pretti “a radicalized leftist” on X without evidence, yet he disputed Bovino’s assertion that Pretti intended to kill multiple law enforcement officers. Pool stated, “There’s no reason to think he was trying to massacre LEOs.”
Comedian Dave Smith, a 2024 Trump endorser, took a stronger stance, implying in an X post that the killing of a second US citizen by immigration agents within a little over two weeks might represent a turning point for Trump’s base.
Smith stated, “I’m an immigration restrictionist. I believe that we have the right to remove any and all people who entered our country illegally.” He added, “Also, ICE is out of fucking control. A bunch of pussies, drunk on power going around intentionally escalating violent interactions and intimidating US citizens.”
