A conservative columnist shredded giddy fans of the MAGA movement on Wednesday for latching on to a video that purported to show the slain Minneapolis ICU nurse agitating ICE officers days before he was shot dead.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump's immigration agents shot and killed 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti's killing sparked an intense debate between political factions, one that was intensified by the Trump administration spreading false information about Pretti and the circumstances that led up to his death.
A video circulating on social media on Wednesday appeared to show a man resembling Pretti kicking the taillight of an ICE vehicle before being tackled by officers. The video also appears to show that Pretti was armed during the encounter. Some people in the Trump administration have claimed agents were justified in shooting Pretti because he brandished a gun at officers, a claim that has since been walked back.
Numerous MAGA fans latched on to the video, claiming it exonerated the officers for shooting Pretti. Conservative columnist Erick Erickson scolded people celebrating the unverified video.
"Guys, Alex Pretti was clearly an activist agitator in this clip," Erickson posted on X. "He was also disarmed before border patrol agents killed him. The team sport insistence on dragging the dead man is kinda gross at this point. I understand pushing back against a narrative, but let the dead die."
