Alex Pretti Shooting: New Footage Reveals Prior Altercation, Tom Homan Takes Over Minneapolis ICE

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Good Thursday morning, Patriots. Well, the media lied to you about the Alex Preddy shooting in Minneapolis. They rushed out a narrative about an innocent ICU nurse gunned down in the streets by federal agents. And it never smelled right to me. I held the story for five days on purpose. There's a rule I picked up from Dan Bongiño that I try to run the show by. When the narrative doesn't add up, when the timeline shifts, when the details keep changing, you hold. You wait.

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because if you jump too fast, you can get it wrong. And on this podcast, I don't like being wrong. Now, the real story is finally breaking loose, and it looks nothing like what the legacy media shoved in your face. Today, we are breaking down who Alex Preti actually was, how these anti-ice networks really operate, what the videos really show, why Gregory Bovino was pushed out and Tom Homan stepped in.

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what Holman's meeting with Tim Walls and Jacob Frye actually accomplished, and what this all means for immigration enforcement going forward. This is Truth vs. Narrative, and the narrative is crumbling rapidly. I'm your host, John O'Connor, software programmer by day, conservative truth seeker by night. The right stand starts now.

01:33
Here's the story the legacy media has been selling you for five days. Alex Priddy was just an innocent ICU nurse, a random bystander, a good Samaritan who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when these jackbooted federal thugs rolled up and executed him in cold blood. That's the narrative. CNN ran with it. MSNOW ran with it. Every left-wing outlet in America has been pushing the same story. Innocent nurse murdered by Trump's ICE Gestapo. But...

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Here's the question nobody in the legacy media wants to answer. And Patriots, this is the question that breaks their entire narrative. How did he know where to be? Think about that for a second. How does an ICU nurse who supposedly just going about his day happen to show up at the exact location where federal agents are conducting an immigration operation? And not just on January 24th, but multiple times.

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including a week earlier when he got into a physical altercation with federal officers that left him with a broken rib. Does that sound like random coincidence to you? Does that sound like a guy who just accidentally kept stumbling into ICE operations? Or does that sound like someone who knew exactly where these operations were happening and was deliberately showing up to interfere? Let me tell you who Alex Preti actually was. And I'm not guessing here, Patriots.

02:58
This comes from his own neighbor. A woman named Janine Massey lives one block away from where Pretti lived. She told reporters that Alex was a member of their neighborhood's Signal Ice Group chat. You know what that is? It's a rapid response network. It's an organized system where protesters track federal agents in real time and swarm to their locations to interfere with arrests. Alex Pretti wasn't some random bystander. He was part of an organized network.

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that was actively obstructing federal law enforcement operations. Now, before anybody jumps down my throat, I'm not saying Alex Preddy deserved to die. I'm not celebrating his death. What I am saying is that the legacy media lied to you about who he was and what he was doing there. They turned him into a martyr. They made him a symbol. They used his death to attack Trump's immigration enforcement.

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And they did it all while hiding the truth about his active participation in these anti-ice operations. And you want to know the worst part? They knew. The reporters knew he was part of these groups. They knew about the previous encounter with federal agents. They knew about the broken rib. They had all this information and they buried it. Why? Because it doesn't fit the narrative. Because if the American people knew Alex Pretti was actively and repeatedly

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interfering with federal operations, they might ask different questions about what happened that day. So let me ask you, when the legacy media tells you a story and then you find out, hmm, they left out every detail that would change how you view that story, what does that tell you about their credibility? Now, let's talk about this signal network because when you understand how this actually works, the entire story changes.

04:52
We are not talking about a few angry protesters with cell phones, patriots. No, this is sophisticated. This is organized. This is funded. The Daily Wire infiltrated these private anti-ice groups and got inside signal chats. Here's how it works. They use encrypted messaging, signal and WhatsApp to communicate in real time. They have rapid responders who act like dispatchers. When someone spots ICE agents, they report it.

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and protesters swarm that location within minutes. They maintain databases of ICE vehicle license plates, literally called License Plates of Adductors. They track which hotels are housing federal agents for noise demonstrations. They even track airplanes overhead. And they use a standardized reporting system called SALUTE, S-A-L-U-T-E, Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time, Equipment.

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It's military-style tactical reporting. These people are using combat intelligence techniques against federal law enforcement. Now, here's the smoking gun. On January 24th at 9.50 a.m., minutes before the shooting, a user named Willow posted in the signal chat, 26 and third, outside Glamdoll. That's Glamdoll donuts. Within minutes, rapid responders swarmed that location.

06:21
Greg Bovino confirmed Alex Pretti was on the scene several minutes before that fatal shooting. Alex didn't just happen to be there, Patriots. He was summoned there by the Signal Network. And these groups provide training. Defend the 612 offers Ice Watch orientation sessions. They teach people how to track federal agents. They have manuals instructing protesters how to call 911 without mentioning ICE.

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so local police will respond and interfere. This isn't spontaneous protest. This is organized obstruction of federal law enforcement. Here's what completely destroys the innocent bystander narrative. This was in Alex Prettie's first encounter with federal agents. In Patriots, we now have video of what happened. On January 13th, 11 days before he was shot, the news agency, the news movement,

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was filming a documentary about ICE activity in Minneapolis. They captured footage of a man interacting with federal agents at East 36th Street and Park Avenue. The BBC analyzed this footage using facial recognition technology and confirmed the man's identity as Alex Preti with 97 % accuracy. And what does this footage show? It shows Alex Preti yelling at federal officers, spitting at them.

07:43
and then kicking out the tail light of their vehicle. Let me say that again, he literally kicked out the tail light of a federal vehicle. That's destruction of federal property. After he damaged their vehicle, the agents tackled him to the ground. They fired tear gas and pepper balls into the crowd. And then, here's the kicker, they retreated. They didn't arrest him, they let him walk away.

08:09
This tracks perfectly with CNN's reporting that Prede suffered a broken rib during an encounter with federal officers about a week before his death. CNN examined medical records confirming medication consistent with treating a broken rib. This January 13th incident where five officers tackled him is almost certainly when that rib was broken. And you know what else that footage shows? A gun visible above his waistband.

08:38
So on January 13th, Alex Preti was armed while he was spitting at federal agents, damaging their vehicle and getting into a physical altercation with them. The Department of Homeland Security says they have no record of this incident, but CNN's source indicated that Preti's name was known to federal agents. So think about what that means, Patriots. When federal agents encountered Alex Preti on January 24th, this wasn't some random person.

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This was someone who just 11 days earlier had spit on them, kicked out their tail light, fought with them while armed, and walked away without being arrested. Someone whose name they knew. Someone who had a documented history of violent confrontation with federal officers. The legacy media wants you to believe these agents randomly decided to tackle and shoot some innocent nurse they'd never seen before. But that's a lie. They knew exactly who he was.

09:35
They dealt with him before and it had gotten physical before. Now let's talk about the shooting itself because this is where it gets complicated. And I'm going to be honest with you about what the videos show because that's what we do on this podcast. The videos that are circulating and there are multiple angles show Alex pretty holding what appears to be a phone in his right hand. His left hand appears to be raised. You can hear people blowing whistles in the background.

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Then you see at least six officers tackle him to the ground. They pin him face down. And then shots are fired. Sounds like about eight or ten rounds. From every angle I've seen of this incident, it does not look good for the federal officers. I'm not going to sit here and tell you it does. The optics are terrible. According to the preliminary DHS report sent to Congress, two Border Patrol agents fired their weapons.

10:29
One with a CBP-issued Glock 19, another with a CBP-issued Glock 47. Both agents have been placed on administrative leave. But, and this is a huge but, we need to talk about the context these officers were operating under, because context matters. These federal agents have been under siege in Minneapolis for weeks. We are talking about 25 assaults on federal agents in just four days.

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25 in four days. That's not a protest, patriots. That's a war zone. They are being kept awake at night by protesters banging on walls, blowing air horns outside their hotels. During the day, they're being cursed at, screamed at, spit on. They have rocks thrown at them, frozen water bottles. Protesters are ramming their vehicles with cars, following them with radios and coordinated swarms. And the whole time, they are just trying to do their job.

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which is up to arrest criminals, people with convictions for assault, drug trafficking, DUI, domestic violence. These aren't random illegal immigrants, patriots. These are people who have committed crimes on top of being here illegally. So here's the question we have to ask. Could one of those officers in a split second moment during a struggle make a tragic mistake? Could they be so amped up

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so exhausted, so on edge from days of non-stop harassment and assault that they see something wrong. Could someone who has been attacked 25 times in four days have a distorted threat perception? Maybe. I don't know. That's what investigations are for. But here's what we do know. And this comes from the preliminary CBP report that was sent to Congress. There is no mention of Alex Preddy brandishing his weapon.

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There is no mention of him attacking officers. There is no mention of his gun discharging. And the firearm that was recovered, according to CBS News, there's no documented chain of custody. The gun was placed on the seat of a vehicle instead of being properly secured in an evidence bag with identifying details like date, item description, and handler name. That's a problem. That's a big problem. Because if you're going to claim someone was threatening you with a weapon,

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You better have evidence of that weapon being handled properly from the moment it was recovered. You better have photographs showing where it was when you found it. You better have a documented chain of custody showing who touched it and when. And from what we're seeing, they don't have that. So where does that leave us? Here's my honest assessment. The initial narrative from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and White House advisor Stephen Miller calling this domestic terrorism, saying Pretti was

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attacking officers and brandishing a weapon, calling him a would-be assassin, that narrative has completely fallen apart. The CBP's own internal review contradicts it. The video is contradicted. The lack of proper evidence handling contradicts it. Does that mean the officers murdered Alex Preti in cold blood like the legacy media claims? No, I don't think so either. What I think happened is that these officers were in an impossible situation.

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dealing with someone they knew had a history of violent interference. Someone who had spit on agents, kicked out their tail light, and fought with them just 11 days earlier in an environment where they'd been under constant attack and something went terribly wrong. But here's what I know for certain. The truth is somewhere in the middle. It's not the legacy media's narrative of an innocent victim murdered by jackbooted thugs.

14:18
And it's not the initial government narrative of domestic terrorists trying to assassinate federal agents. The truth is messier. The truth is more complicated. And that's why I waited to cover this story. So Gregory Bovino has been removed and sent back to California. Tom Homan took over. And the legacy media thinks it's Trump backing down. Let me tell you something, Patriots. These people have no idea who Tom Homan is. Tom Homan worked under Barack Obama.

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In 2015 Obama gave him a Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Service, the highest civil service recognition. Obama gave it to him in the White House for his work on immigration enforcement. The Washington Post in 2015, Thomas Homan deports people and he's really good at it. This isn't some Trump partisan. This is a career officer who's been doing this since 1984 through six different presidents.

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From 2013 to 2017 he ran ICE's enforcement and removal operations under Obama. The division that actually removes people? He was the first ICE director who came up through the ranks. So when the left paints Homan as a Trump crony, remind them. Barack Obama thought he was so effective that he gave him a presidential award. According to DHS sources, Homan was already critical of Bovino's strategy. Bovino focused on numbers, racking up

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big arrest totals. Homan focuses on quality, targeting the worst criminals first. So that's not retreat, Patriots. That's smarter enforcement. Tom Homan arrived Tuesday, January 27th and sat down with Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frye. Remember who those people are, Patriots. Walz told Minnesotans to film ICE agents and create a database for future prosecutions. He compared ICE to Nazi Germany.

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an actual Holocaust museum condemned him for it. Frye runs Minneapolis as a sanctuary city with an ordinance saying city resources can't enforce federal immigration law. So, Homan sits down with them and he's professional, measured, strategic.

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After the meetings, home and posts, we all agree we need to support law enforcement and get criminals off the streets. While we don't agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point. Even Walls admitted there was a tone shift, saying, Tom is a professional, which is a lot more than Bovino and Kristi Noem. But here's the critical part. Just because the tone changed doesn't mean the mission changed. Walls still demanded ICE leave Minnesota.

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Frye after meeting with Homan doubled down. Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws. Trump's response? Well, he went nuclear on Truth Social. Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frye just stated that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws. This is after having a very good conversation with him. Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the law?

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and that he is playing with fire. Frye fired back, the job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce federal immigration laws. So let me translate, Patriots. Homan came in as the adult. He changed the tone, open communication, showed willingness to work together if they cooperate. But the mission hasn't changed. ICE isn't leaving. They are not stopping operations. Homan just shifted the strategy.

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Fewer confrontations, smarter targeting, better optics. That's not retreat, that's tactical adaptation. Let's ask the question nobody in the legacy media wants to address. Who created the environment that led to Alex Preti's death? We have organized networks funded by George Soros, Tides Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and Mark Rufolo that actively track and interfere with federal operations.

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We have state officials like Tim Wallace telling people to film agents and create databases, and Jacob Fry declaring his city won't enforce federal law. A leaked email showed Minneapolis city government was working with protesters to track ICE. We have 25 assaults on federal agents in four days. Agents kept awake at night, spit on, rocks thrown at them, protesters ramming vehicles. And when someone dies in that chaos,

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Chaos these politicians and networks created. Who does the legacy media blame? The federal agents. Here's my question. What did they think was going to happen? When you put federal agents in impossible, high stress, life threatening situations over and over, did you think there would be no consequences? I'm not saying what happened to Alex Preti was justified. I'm saying the people who created this environment

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have blood on their hands too. So Tom Homan is changing strategy. Quality over quantity, targeting the worst criminals first. He's opening communication with state officials while being professional and strategic. I think Homan is the right man for this job. He's done this for 40 years under presidents from both parties. He's not a political appointee. He earned this position through competence.

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He knows how to navigate hostile jurisdictions without compromising the mission. But here's what won't change. The mission to remove criminal illegal aliens will continue. It has to. Because this isn't about politics, Patriots. This is about rule of law and public safety. You know who else got shot by ICE in Minneapolis? Renee Good. Two weeks before Alex Preti. She drove her vehicle at ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who suffered internal bleeding.

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But the legacy media made her the victim. They doxed Ross, published his name in license plate. He's now in hiding with his family because of death threats. Between those two shootings, ICE arrested over 3,000 criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota. How many had violent convictions, drug trafficking, assault? How many Americans are safer because those criminals were removed? You won't hear those stories on CNN.

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because it doesn't fit their narrative. FBI Director Kash Patel announced the FBI is investigating these signal chat groups tracking federal agents. The legacy media is screaming about First Amendment violations. And look, I understand that concern. We must protect free speech. But here's what Patel said. You cannot create a scenario that illegally entraps and puts law enforcement in harm's way. He's right.

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There's a difference between protesting and actively obstructing federal operations. There's a difference between documenting what you see and using encrypted networks to coordinate swarms, track movements, share license plates in hotels, and teach people how to physically interfere with arrests. If these networks crossed the line into criminal conspiracy to obstruct federal officers, 18 U.S.C. 111, then the FBI should investigate. The First Amendment

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protects speech. It doesn't protect obstruction. You can yell, hate ice all day. That's protected. But when you step into the street to block a federal vehicle, coordinate swarms to interfere with arrests, or ram an agent with your car, you have crossed from speech to action, and actions have consequences. Patriots, it's time for me to bring this home. The legacy media lied to you about Alex Preti.

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They told you he was an innocent ICU nurse, a random bystander who got gunned down for no reason. But that's not true. Alex Pretti was part of an organized signal network that tracked federal agents and coordinated rapid response to interfere with ICE operations. His neighbor confirmed he was a member of their ICE watch group. He had a previous encounter with federal agents that left him with a broken rib. His name was known to the agents.

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He was summoned to the location where he was shot by encrypted messages in the Signal Chat. Does that mean he deserved to die? No. But it does mean the narrative you were fed is false. These federal agents are operating under conditions that are unimaginable. 25 assaults in four days, constant harassment, sleep deprivation, protesters ramming vehicles. And when something goes wrong in that environment,

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We need to ask who created that environment. Tom Homan taking over is not a retreat. It's a strategic shift to a more experienced operator who worked under six presidents, who got a presidential rank award from Obama, and who knows how to handle hostile jurisdictions without compromising the mission. The battle over immigration enforcement is going to continue, patriots. The organized left isn't going away.

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Tim Walls and Jacob Frey aren't going to suddenly start cooperating, but federal agents are still going to do their jobs. And we need to stay informed. We need to demand the truth. And we need to support the men and women who are putting their lives on the line to enforce our laws. Because at the end of the day, this is about whether we are a nation of laws or a nation of chaos. I know where I stand.

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Hit that subscribe, follow, and or like button wherever you're listening. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Rumble, your platform of choice. Check out O'Connor's Quick Strike on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for rapid fire news. This podcast drops on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Find me on X at O'Connor Podcasts. Share this episode. Get the conversation going. Have a great rest of your day, Patriots. Until Tuesday, hold the line unapologetically. This is John O'Connor, signing off.