In the days following Alex Pretti's fatal shooting at the hands of U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026, social media filled with claims about who he was, what happened in the moments before his death and how federal officials responded to it. Many internet rumors were misleading or entirely fabricated.
Several widely shared posts, for example, pushed inaccurate narratives about Pretti's personal and professional life, including false claims that he'd been fired from a nursing job over allegations of misconduct and a photo that was miscaptioned to convince people it showed him dressed in drag.
Video footage was also miscaptioned to spread misinformation about Pretti, like a clip supposedly showing his hospital colleagues in Minneapolis lining a hallway to pay tribute to him — but elements of that footage actually suggested it showed health care workers in Colorado years before his death.
Social media users also shared images of Pretti's fatal confrontation with federal agents that were enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI) software, without making that digital manipulation known.
Another set of rumors focused on President Donald Trump's administration responsed to Pretti's death — including claims about the Department of Homeland Security supposedly posting a stock photo of a gun and labeling it as Pretti's.
Snopes has investigated these claims about Pretti since his death:
