The immediate smear campaign against Border Patrol shooting victim Alex Pretty

Within minutes of Alex Pretty being shot and killed Federal immigration officer In Minneapolis on Saturday Trump administrationShe launched, with the support of right-wing influencers, a smear campaign against the victim, describing him as a “terrorist” and “crazy.”

Pretty, 37, was killed during a standoff with several federal immigration agents. Preeti was a US citizen and a registered nurse working for the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a colleague I spoke to. The Guardian. Video from a bystander shows Pretty was trying to help a woman who was pepper-sprayed by an immigration agent when officers confronted him.

Preeti’s killing comes 17 days after the killing of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross shot Renee Nicole Goodmother of three children. Judd was also 37 years old at the time of her death.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference on Saturday that information about what led to Pretty’s fatal encounter was limited, but in a separate news conference, Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander overseeing federal operations in Minneapolis, claimed to have a full assessment of what happened.

Bovino alleged that Pretty approached officers with a 9 mm handgun, resisted being disarmed, and was shot in what he described as an apparent act of self-defense. He claimed the man had two loaded magazines and lacked identification, and alleged that Pretty intended a “law enforcement massacre,” while the Border Patrol agent who killed Petrie, he said, had received extensive training.

Department of Homeland Security repeat Bovino’s claims in a post on Under the title: “Armed provocateur Alex Peretti appears to want ‘maximum damage’ and ‘massacre’ law enforcement when BP shoots him in Minnesota.”

Key parts of these claims contradict publicly available evidence.

Multiple videos There was no indication on social media in the moments following the shooting that Pretty’s gun was visible when officers approached him. Analytics by New York Times and Bellingcat It found that Pretty was clearly holding a phone, not a gun, when federal officers approached him and forced him to the ground.

On Truth Social, President Donald Trump blamed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Trump: “The mayor and governor are inciting insurrection with their arrogant, dangerous, arrogant rhetoric.” books In a post that included a picture of a gun The Department of Homeland Security claimed Preeti was carrying it at the time of his murder.

Vice President J.D. Vance backed Trump’s criticism of local leadership, sharing a screenshot of the president’s Truth Social post and Write on X“When I visited Minnesota, what ICE agents wanted more than anything else was to work with local law enforcement so that conditions on the ground did not spiral out of control. Local leadership in Minnesota has so far refused to respond to these requests.”

also Posting on XDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth added to the criticism of Frye-Walls, as well as the vilification of the victim: “Shame on Minnesota’s leadership — and the crazies on the street. ICE > MN.”

At a press conference, Walz referred to the federal narrative as “nonsense.”

“The Minnesota justice system will have the final say” in Pretty’s killing, Walz said, adding, “The federal government cannot be trusted in this investigation.”