Question

The photo of the gun allegedly owned by the allegedly armed man executed by ICE is FAKE...

Answer 1

From the research I’ve conducted, this statement appears to be false. The only evidence supporting the claim that the photo of the firearm was fake is a screenshot of an image search of the firearm with a Reddit post titled “Weekly Discussion Megathread” that was supposedly posted 5 days prior to the incident involving Alex Pretti. According to this Snopes article: "We found no evidence the image the DHS shared circulated online before the Jan. 24 shooting or that it was a pre-existing stock image.” However, in the article, it was stated that the metadata for the photo could not be obtained to confirm the legitimacy of the statement that the photo that the DHS shared is not the firearm found on Pretti. It is also important to add that many photos surrounding this incident are AI-generated or altered in some way. But from my research, the photo being questioned is not AI-generated or altered. 

(Tagging this as Exaggerated/Misleading due to the fact that the metadata on the photo could not be obtained to confirm the legitimacy of it)

Source: 

https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/01/26/alex-pretti-gun-dhs-stock-photo/

Comments

One thing I think you could push further is the weakness of the Reddit “evidence.” You mention the screenshot, but it might help to point out that reverse‑image search results are not chronological proof. They only show that an image appears somewhere online — not when it first appeared. People often misunderstand this and assume that if a Reddit post shows up in the search results, it must predate the event. That’s not how indexing works. So the entire foundation of the “fake photo” claim rests on a tool that can’t actually establish a timeline. Highlighting that would make your conclusion even stronger.

Answer 2

The photo of the gun showed in the article is not fake, although this is misleading. The photo released by the Department oh Homeland Security (DHS) was a real photo of a fun that was at the scene. However, the issue is that video from the altercation that day shows that the gun that was found on Pretti was removed and placed far away from his reach prior to the police firing at him. The gun was present at the scene but it did not pose any imminent threat to the officers. 

Links used: The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights probe into the killing of Alex Pretti, AI image of Alex Pretti’s killing is the latest altered photo amid ICE surge in Minneapolis, Video Analyses at Odds with DHS Statements on Minneapolis Shooting

Comments

Your point about the photo being “real but misleading” is important, but I think you could dig deeper into what kind of misleading we’re talking about. The issue isn’t just that the gun was moved — it’s that DHS released the photo without clarifying that the weapon had already been relocated far from Pretti when shots were fired. That omission creates a narrative of imminent threat that the video evidence directly contradicts. In other words, the problem isn’t the authenticity of the image itself, but the context DHS attached to it, which can shape public perception just as powerfully as an altered photo. It might strengthen your argument to highlight that distinction: the photo isn’t fake, but the framing can still distort reality.

Answer 3

The source is considered misleading or exaggerated.  The phot of the gun is real however it was found on a Reddit post five days prior to the altercation.  The Department of Homeland Security later released a photo of a gun used at the said altercation.  The gun was found at the crime scene later on but was placed far enough from Alex Pretti that it wasn't a threat to the officers. 

Links: https://apnews.com/article/minneapolis-ice-fbi-alex-pretti-immigration-65a963816603a08bbc9db83961dd173f

Answer 4

Based on my research, this statement appears to be exaggerated/ Misleading. The main evidence claiming the photo of the firearm was fake comes from a screenshot of an image search and a Reddit post that was supposedly shared before the incident. However, according to Snopes, there is no proof that the image existed online before the Jan. 24 shooting or that it was a stock image. While the article explains that the photo’s metadata could not be checked, this alone does not prove the image was edited or fake. Even though many images connected to this incident were AI-generated or altered, there is no clear evidence that the firearm photo shared by Department of Homeland Security was manipulated.

links used:https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/fake-image-shared-photo-minnesota-woman-fatally-shot-by-ice-agent-2026-01-14/?utm

Comments

Your analysis is strong, and I think you could push it even further by looking at how people interpret missing metadata. You mention that the metadata could not be checked, but it might help to point out that most platforms automatically strip metadata when images are uploaded. Because of that, the absence of metadata does not suggest anything suspicious on its own. What matters more is what your sources actually found. Neither Reuters nor Snopes uncovered any sign that the firearm photo existed online before the incident, and neither found evidence of AI manipulation or editing. That makes the Reddit screenshot even weaker as proof, since reverse image search results do not establish when an image first appeared. Your conclusion that the claim is exaggerated or misleading fits the evidence well, and emphasizing how unreliable the supporting “evidence” is would make your argument even stronger.

Answer 5

There are many different videos of the Alex Pretti shooting, but only one is real. The clip shown on all reputable news networks and social media accounts shows Alex Pretti being stripped of his gun and put out of reach. However there are alternative videos showing he never had a gun, these are AI videos that have doctored. The New York Times article mentions that there are many different versions posted by many different accounts. This seems to mean that different people had the same idea, which produced a cornucopia of videos that showed him not having a gun.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/us/minnesota-shooting-false-posts.html

Answer 6

After checking this claim, the photo of the gun appears to be misleading rather than real. Multiple fact-checking reports show that AI-enhanced or manipulated images have been circulating online in connection with federal law-enforcement shootings, including ones involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and these altered photos can spread confusion about what actually happened. In fact, a widely shared image claiming to show a gun in the Minneapolis incident was manipulated with AI and doesn’t come from verified footage of the event, and similar AI-generated imagery has been debunked by independent fact-checkers. Because this photo can’t be traced back to credible body-camera video or a reliable news source and shows signs of manipulation, it should not be trusted as an accurate depiction of the incident.

Source: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/jan/27/tweets/Image-AI-Minneapolis-Alex-Pretti-Immigration/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Answer 7

The investigation shows that the claim “the photo of the gun is FAKE” is not supported by credible evidence. The only support for the claim came from a circulating screenshot showing the same gun image in a Reddit thread, but this does not prove that the image existed before the incident or that it was fabricated. A detailed fact‑check found no evidence that the photo was a stock image or that it had appeared online earlier. However, the photo’s metadata could not be retrieved, which means the image also cannot be fully authenticated. Official sources like DHS may have institutional interests, Reddit users may have political motivations, and fact‑checking organizations aim for neutrality but rely on verifiable evidence. The strongest evidence undermining the claim is that no credible source has shown the image to be fake, and no signs of AI manipulation or alteration were found.

The only evidence supporting the claim is the Reddit screenshot and the missing metadata, which are insufficient to prove fabrication. A major secondary source, Snopes, concluded that there is no evidence the image circulated before the incident and no evidence it is a stock photo, though they could not confirm authenticity due to missing metadata. Their report can be found here: https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/01/26/alex-pretti-gun-dhs-stock-photo/ (snopes.com in Bing). Attempts to contact the original claimant did not receive a response, leaving the claim unsubstantiated and misleading rather than proven.

Comments

Your fact‑check does a good job separating what people think the Reddit screenshot proves from what it actually shows. One thing you could emphasize even more is how unreliable reverse image search is for establishing timelines. A screenshot of a Reddit thread appearing in the results does not mean the image existed before the incident, and treating it that way is a major flaw in the original claim. You also make a strong point about metadata, but it might help to note that missing metadata is extremely common once images are uploaded to government sites or social platforms, so its absence does not suggest manipulation. What really strengthens your conclusion is that neither Snopes nor any other credible source found signs of AI editing or evidence that the photo existed earlier. That makes your assessment that the claim is unsubstantiated and misleading feel well supported.