"Within 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."
"Bovino claimed Pretti had approached officers with a 9-mm 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.""
Alex Pretti, 37, an American citizen and registered nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs, was shot and killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis while attempting to help a woman who had been pepper sprayed. Multiple federal immigration agents confronted Pretti before he was tackled and shot. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino claimed Pretti approached officers with a 9-mm handgun, resisted disarmament, had two loaded magazines, lacked identification, and intended to "massacre law enforcement." The Department of Homeland Security amplified Bovino's account in a widely viewed post. Right-wing outlets and influencers immediately repeated the narrative.
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