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DeepfakeHigh

Purportedly AI-Altered Images Reportedly Distort Evidence After Minneapolis Shooting of ICU Nurse Alex Pretti

Occurred
Jan 24, 2026
Published
Jan 25, 2026
Source
AI Incident Database

Summary

Following the fatal shooting of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents, social media accounts reportedly circulated images purported to have been altered by AI, reportedly distorting evidence of the incident by portraying Pretti as threatening law enforcement and altering the presence of weapons. The images reportedly misidentified individuals and helped reinforce partisan narratives by purportedly obscuring verified video and eyewitness accounts.

Developers

  • Google

Deployers

  • Pro-Trump social media influencers
  • Unidentified social media users
  • Partisan online accounts
  • Information manipulation actors

Harmed parties

  • Alex Pretti
  • Family of Alex Pretti
  • Epistemic integrity

Classification

Category confidence: 90%
Severity confidence: 85%

Rationale: AI-altered images distorted evidence in a fatal shooting case, causing significant public harm and legal implications.

Classifier: Qwen/Qwen3.5-35B-A3B-FP8

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