Updated 1/29/26 with video of another incident involving Pretti.
As federal agents and protesters clash over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda, tensions have continuously escalated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, leaving both the city and nation divided. Biased media outlets and commentators have then rushed to frame the tension in a way that supports their desired narrative.
Federal agents have shot and killed two US citizens in the city in the last three weeks. Biased news coverage and misleading statements from Trump administration officials then followed, fueling deeper divides and a lack of understanding among the public.
How Different Truths Emerged on the Killing of Alex Pretti
Immigration agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a US citizen, in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.
Voices on the left often questioned the Department of Homeland Security’s preliminary description of the incident, noting how videos of the killing appear to contradict statements from officials. Voices on the right tended to frame the DHS’s word as more plausible and framed Pretti as an antagonist.
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On the left, the common narrative is that the Trump administration is leading a violent crackdown on civil liberties, going so far as to allow federal agents to murder US citizens for opposing his agenda, and then obfuscating and lying about it to the American people. People with this position treat any statement from the Trump administration or immigration officials as dubious, highlighting how official accounts of the incident have been contradicted by videos.
Federal agents in Minneapolis wrestled Alex Pretti to the ground and secured the handgun he was carrying moments before shooting him multiple times, according to a Washington Post analysis of video footage.
Read more: https://t.co/gs55sapKJH pic.twitter.com/0LwulTgqLy— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 25, 2026
On social media, critics of the Trump admin’s approach have frequently posted a line from George Orwell’s 1984, which focuses on themes of government oppression and civil rights abuses: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
Voices and media on the left often highlighted how Pretti – by their accounts an upstanding citizen and ICU nurse with no criminal record – had seemingly been gunned down for exercising his First Amendment right to protest, just as they said of Renee Good, who was killed a few weeks earlier. They panned statements from officials as ludicrous, such as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem claim that Pretti committed an “act of domestic terrorism." They also pointed to the 10 shots reportedly fired at Pretti as an excessive use of force.
The right didn’t treat the administration and its account of the incident with the same skepticism. Some voices instead painted the actions of agents and the Trump administration as more justifiable.
Some pushed back on the idea that Pretti was a peaceful protester, noting that he reportedly had a handgun and two magazines of ammo on his person, and argued that he shouldn’t have resisted nor approached agents in the first place. They also noted how other people violently attacked immigration agents after the shooting, and how agents were purportedly trying to arrest a violent, unauthorized immigrant when the confrontation with Pretti took place.
Some voices on the right also highlighted political action committees fundraising around the killings and Minnesota’s recent immigration-related fraud scandal as reasons to believe the uprising against immigration agents in Minneapolis might be politically-organized and funded, rather than an organic display of public dissent. Fox News (Right bias) reported that the protest involving Pretti “was part of a strategic pattern of organized interference with law enforcement operations.”
Two things can be true at the same time.
Alex Pretti’s death is a real and devastating tragedy, and there are several investigations appropriately occurring into the circumstances behind his killing
A far-left organizing network put Pretti in harm's way and then turned him… pic.twitter.com/lOSv3bDo6Y— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) January 26, 2026
As media outlets across the spectrum have raced to publish biased coverage based on preliminary reports, more viewpoints and underreported details have emerged that should be considered before making a conclusion.
Underreported Facts and Perspectives to Be Aware Of
- Pretti was on his knees when he was shot, and no videos show Pretti holding a gun
Pretti is holding his phone and appears to be filming agents as he approaches them. His gun appears to be holstered in the backside of his waistband. Secretary Noem had said Pretti was “brandishing” a gun.
Pretti and an agent then begin to tussle, and Pretti is pepper-sprayed and ends up on his knees with agents surrounding him.
- A Border Patrol agent shot Pretti, not an ICE agent
Not all news outlets and commentators made this distinction in their initial coverage. The identity of the agent or agents who shot Pretti is currently unknown.
- We don’t know why agents started shooting
Video appears to show an agent removing the holstered gun from Pretti’s waistband, and some say the gun might have fired accidentally at that point, which may have prompted agents to start shooting. Pretti’s gun, a Sig Sauer P320 9mm handgun, is reportedly known for issues with accidental discharges.
If the accidental discharge did occur, it could have been mistaken for a targeted shot, which may have caused the other agents (who heard someone say “gun” but purportedly didn’t know Pretti had already been disarmed) to open fire.
Some say the video shows Pretti appearing to reach for his weapon after an agent removed it, which may have also led the other agents to open fire. This is unconfirmed, and it's hard to tell from the video. At this point, it remains unclear what prompted agents to start shooting. There is only a second or two between the agent taking the gun and other agents starting to shoot Pretti.
In a video, Pretti appears to shout expletives and spit at an immigration agent before kicking out the taillight of the agent's vehicle. The agent then gets into a scuffle with Pretti.
- The way the shooting is being investigated is considered unusual
ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit is investigating the shooting. "Current and former law enforcement officials told CBS News that move is unusual because HSI typically doesn't investigate shootings by officers," per CBS News (Lean Left).
The FBI is also reportedly assisting with parts of the probe that HSI isn't equipped to execute; "HSI lacks the ability to process certain kinds of material — like scientific and forensic evidence including fingerprints, DNA, ballistic data and firearm-related physical evidence — so FBI investigators will be focusing on these aspects of the probe," CBS reported.
- Second Amendment supporters have fought for the right to bear arms at protests...
After the shooting, Gun Owners of America said in a statement: "The Second Amendment protects Americans' right to bear arms while protesting - a right the federal government must not infringe upon."
- … but some political leaders have opposed it
In 2024, Minnesota's attorney general joined dozens of other state AGs in arguing against the right to bear arms at protests, saying it could lead to violence. After the Pretti shooting, FBI Director Kash Patel incorrectly suggested that carrying a gun at protests is illegal.
- Minneapolis remains an outlier
Violence between immigration agents and US citizens has boiled over much more in Minnesota than any other state in the last few months. In total, three US citizens have been shot and killed by immigration agents since the start of the Trump administration’s crackdown – all in the last month. One was shot by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve. The other two are Renee Good and Pretti, who were shot in Minneapolis.
- There is internal division over the Trump administration’s framing of the events
Bill Meligun of Fox News (Right bias) said he spoke to “more than half a dozen federal sources involved immigration enforcement, including several in senior positions, who all tell me they have grown increasingly uneasy & frustrated w/ some of the claims & narratives DHS pushed in the aftermath of the shooting.”
Historical Context and Bias
One thing the different sides have in common here? Many might be guilty of hypocrisy.
When Kyle Rittenhouse carried a rifle around during a 2020 night of unrest in Wisconsin and killed two people who attacked him, some celebrated the Second Amendment's protection of self-armament. Those same voices are quieter on Alex Pretti's right to have a gun at a protest.
When incidents like the killings of Good and Pretti happen at the hands of immigration agents, many voices mourn them and criticize government oppression. But those same voices tend to be more silent when unauthorized immigrants murder US citizens.
Updated 1/27/26 at 3:34pm ET with additional analysis.
Written by News Editor Andy Gorel and Editor-in-chief Henry A. Brechter (both Center bias).
Reviewed by News and Bias Analysts Emily Allen (Left bias) and Johnathon Held (Lean Right bias).
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