Fox News coverage largely echoes federal account of Minneapolis shooting

Fox News hosts, reporters and guests largely promoted the Trump administration's account that Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse who was shot and killed by immigration agents at a Minneapolis protest, brought the violence upon himself, The New York Times reported. The Times said many other networks spent Sunday analyzing slow-motion and freeze-frame video of the shooting, but Fox framed coverage around statements from federal officials and the Department of Homeland Security.

Fox figures cited DHS claims that Mr. Pretti approached agents with a 9 mm handgun and two magazines, and a Fox reporter quoted an agent saying he fired after fearing for his life. The DHS posted that agents tried to disarm him; videos analyzed by The New York Times and other outlets, the paper said, appear to show Mr.

Pretti never drew his pistol, that agents sprayed him with chemical irritants and forced him to the ground, that one agent removed his firearm and then two other officers shot him in the back. The Times noted disagreement within Fox, with some contributors and hosts questioning aspects of the federal account and calling for a thorough investigation.

Key Topics

Politics, Alex Pretti, Minneapolis, Dhs, Border Patrol, Ice