The Instant Smear Campaign Against Border Patrol Shooting Victim Alex Pretti | WIREDSkip to main contentMenuSECURITYPOLITICSTHE BIG STORYBUSINESSSCIENCECULTUREREVIEWSMenuAccountAccountNewslettersSecurityPoliticsThe Big StoryBusinessScienceCultureReviewsChevronMoreExpandThe Big InterviewMagazineEventsWIRED InsiderWIRED ConsultingNewslettersPodcastsVideoMerchSearchSearchSign InSign InDavid GilbertPoliticsJan 24, 2026 7:37 PMThe Instant Smear Campaign Against Border Patrol Shooting Victim Alex PrettiWithin minutes of the shooting, the Trump administration and right-wing influencers began disparaging the man shot by a federal immigration officer on Saturday in Minneapolis.Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/Getty ImagesSave StorySave this storySave StorySave this storyWithin minutes of Alex Pretti being shot and killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, the Trump administration, backed by right-wing influencers, launched a smear campaign against the victim, labeling him a “terrorist” and a “lunatic.”Pretti, 37, was killed during a confrontation with multiple federal immigration agents. Pretti was an American citizen and a registered nurse who worked in the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a colleague who spoke to the Guardian. Video from a bystander shows Pretti was attempting to help a woman who had been pepper sprayed by an immigration agent when officers tackled him.Pretti’s killing comes 17 days after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross shot Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three. Good was also 37 at the time of her death.Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara said during a press conference on Saturday that information about what had led up to Pretti’s fatal confrontation was limited, but at a separate press conference, Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander overseeing federal operations in Minneapolis, claimed to have a full assessment of what had taken place.Bovino claimed Pretti had approached officers with a 9mm handgun, resisted disarmament, and was shot in what he described as a clear act of self-defense. He claimed the man had two loaded magazines and lacked identification, and alleged that Pretti intended to “massacre law enforcement,” while the Border Patrol agent who killed Pretti, he said, had extensive training.The Department of Homeland Security reiterated Bovino’s claims in a post on X that has been viewed over 17 million times at the time of publication, and the narrative was carried unquestioningly by right-wing outlets, like the Post Millenial, which published a story headlined: “Armed agitator Alex Pretti appeared to want 'maximum damage' and to 'massacre' law enforcement when shot by BP in Minnesota.”Key portions of these claims are contradicted by publicly available evidence.Multiple videos shared on social media in the moments after the shooting show no indication that Pretti’s gun was visible when he was approached by the officers. Analyses by The New York Times and Bellingcat found that Pretti was clearly holding a phone, not a gun, when the federal officers approached him and forced him to the ground.On Truth Social, President Donald Trump weighed in to blame Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. “The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric,” Trump wrote in a post that included an image of a gun DHS claimed Pretti was carrying at the time he was killed.Vice President JD Vance backed up Trump’s criticism of local leadership, sharing a screenshot of the president’s Truth Social post and writing 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.”Also posting on X, defense secretary Pete Hegseth added to the criticism of Frey and Walz, as well as denigrating the victim: “Shame on the leadership of Minnesota — and the lunatics in the street. ICE > MN.”Walz, in a press conference, referred to the federal narrative as “nonsense.”“Minnesota’s justice system will have the last word” on Pretti’s killing, Walz said, adding, “the federal government cannot be trusted with this investigation.”Trump’s homeland security adviser, Stephen Miller, went further in a pair of posts, labelling Pretti an “assassin” and a “terrorist.”The Trump administration’s smear campaign against the victim was quickly repeated by supporters on social media. Nick Sortor, one of a group of right-wing influencers camped out in Minneapolis to cover ICE’s campaign there, falsely referred to Pretti as an “illegal alien” and added that he “was armed with a gun and attempted to PULL IT on agents as he was being apprehended.”Pretti was a US citizen and born in Illinois, according to family members, who had no criminal record. Sortor’s claims are contradicted by video evidence.Quoting a video of the shooting, Jack Posobiec, a right-wing influencer with close ties to the White House, wrote on X: “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 in a press conference that he believed Pretti was “a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”Despite the Trump administration’s talking points, not everyone on the right was on board. While right-wing podcaster Tim Pool labeled Pretti “a radicalized leftist” in a post on X without providing any evidence, he also disagreed with Bovino’s claim about killing multiple law enforcement officers: “There's no reason to think he was trying to massacre LEOs,” Pool wrote, referring to law enforcement officers.Dave Smith, a comedian who endorsed Trump in 2024, went further, suggesting in an X post that immigration agents’ killing of a second US citizen in the space of just over two weeks could be a tipping point for Trump’s supporters.“I’m an immigration restrictionist. I believe that we have the right to remove any and all people who entered our country illegally,” Smith wrote. “Also, ICE is out of fucking control. A bunch of pussies, drunk on power going around intentionally escalating violent interactions and intimidating US citizens.”You Might Also LikeIn your inbox: Maxwell Zeff's dispatch from the heart of AIThe best EVs coming in 2026Big Story: Your first humanoid coworker will be ChineseWhat to do if ICE invades your neighborhoodSpecial edition: You’re already living in the Chinese centuryDavid Gilbert is a reporter at WIRED covering disinformation, online extremism, and how these two online trends impact people’s lives across the globe, with a special focus on the 2024 US presidential election. Prior to joining WIRED, he worked at VICE News. He lives in Ireland. ... 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The shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal immigration officer, subsequently amplified by a rapid and coordinated smear campaign, presents a complex and troubling illustration of how information, particularly during times of heightened political tension, can be manipulated and disseminated. This summary will detail the events surrounding the shooting, the immediate response from the Trump administration and its allies, and the emerging evidence challenging the initial narrative.

The incident occurred on Saturday, January 24, 2026, in Minneapolis, where 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an American citizen and registered nurse working in the Department of Veterans Affairs, attempted to assist a woman who had been pepper-sprayed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. The video evidence, widely circulated on social media, depicts Pretti holding what appears to be a phone—not a firearm—when approached by the federal officers, who subsequently tackled him to the ground. This initial visual record immediately contradicted the subsequent claims made by the Department of Homeland Security and right-wing influencers.

Within hours of the shooting, the Trump administration, backed by figures like Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, launched a concerted effort to portray Pretti as a “terrorist” and “lunatic,” fuelled by accusations that he intended to “massacre law enforcement.” This immediate framing was supported by DHS, which cited Bovino’s claim that Pretti possessed a 9mm handgun with multiple loaded magazines and possessed an intent to commit “maximum damage.” The swiftness of this response and the aggressive language employed are notable, reflecting a broader pattern of utilizing inflammatory rhetoric during politically charged moments. Notably, Donald Trump specifically blamed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, accusing them of inciting “insurrection.”

The claims made by DHS were quickly challenged by independent analysis. The New York Times and Bellingcat conducted their own investigations, using publicly available video footage to demonstrate that Pretti was holding a phone and not a gun at the time of the incident. These findings directly undermined the initial narrative and highlighted the importance of verifying information beyond immediate reports, especially when those reports originate from politically motivated sources.

The rapid amplification of the controversy was further fueled by figures like Nick Sortor, a right-wing influencer who was camping out in Minneapolis to monitor ICE operations, and by online personalities such as Jack Posobiec, who disseminated the narrative through platforms like Truth Social. Posobiec, in particular, framed the incident as an illegal attempt to disrupt federal law enforcement, alleging Pretti’s actions constituted a violation of the law. This approach, fueled by amplified claims, serves to emphasize the importance of critical thinking and analysis, questioning claims based solely on an individual's position or affiliation.

Furthermore, the coordinated efforts extended beyond simply disseminating information; prominent individuals actively sought to discredit Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who clarified that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, and sought to undermine the local leadership, specifically Walz, amplifying the criticism of the city’s response and portraying it as inadequate.

Despite the strong framing by the Trump administration, not all conservative voices adopted the narrative without question. Tim Pool, a right-wing podcaster, expressed skepticism about Bovino’s claims regarding the number of law enforcement officers Pretti intended to target, suggesting that there was no evidence to support the “massacre” claim. Dave Smith, a comedian and 2024 Trump supporter, offered a more nuanced perspective, suggesting that the situation represented a "tipping point" for Trump voters, while acknowledging the out-of-control nature of ICE and the escalation of violent interactions. This demonstration of differing opinions within the right wing underlines the complexity of the situation and the range of perspectives regarding the events, illustrating the limitations of a single, unified viewpoint.

The swift, coordinated smear campaign against Pretti underscores a critical issue—the speed at which misinformation can spread, particularly within an environment of heightened political polarization. This case reveals vulnerabilities in the public's ability to critically assess information, and the influence of powerful figures in shaping public perception. The long-term implications of this event may lie in how closely it will be analyzed by legal scholars regarding the extent of executive influence and the role of social media in propagating misinformation.