Does a video showing a muzzle flash, smoke, and sparks from a bullet hitting pavement accurately show the handgun taken from Alex Pretti misfiring just before he was fatally shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis? No, that's not true: The short video was created by an artificial intelligence tool, although based on a real video of that moment. The social media post that shared the video said it was "AI enhanced," which means blurring and overall quality is improved. It should be labeled "AI-Generated" because it added the muzzle flash, smoke, and sparks not seen in the original, as well as changing the scene significantly.
The AI video originated in a post (archived here) published by the Karim Jovian Facebook page on January 28, 2026, with a caption that read:
AI enhanced video of man who disarmed Alex Pretti shows gun allegedly misfiring as ICE agent runs with it which has been said to have spooked the other agents into firing.
AI video also enhances the visuals of the bullet so it would be clearly visible to the human eye
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed Jan 28 16:35:47 2026 UTC)
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of Facebook)
This fact check does not address whether the handgun actually misfired. This article is focused only on a video circulating on social media that shows a vivid, but fake, representation of it misfiring. This is a GIF created by Lead Stories copying the altered video:
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of Facebook)
This is a GIF of the original video slowed down to 25% of actual speed.
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of X.com)
As the comparison shows, the differences between the altered and original videos include far more than an improvement of resolution and video quality.
Terminology in the AI content creation industry is relatively new to the average viewer, so we looked at the definitions of "AI-enhanced" and "AI-generated" video offered in a glossary on the website of BigMotion, a major platform for AI video creation:
AI-enhanced video quality (archived here) - AI upscales or enhances video resolution, sharpness, and overall quality, often converting lower-quality footage into HD or 4K.
AI-generated effects (archived here) -- AI-driven special effects such as CGI, particle effects, or dynamic lighting, applied automatically based on scene content.
We concluded, based on these definitions, that the video showing the muzzle flash, smoke, and sparks is not just enhanced, but it was generated by artificial intelligence tools.
This distinction is significant. Cell phone videos have become crucial for understanding controversial incidents. Public awareness of alterations matters because these videos shape public opinion and influence government actions.
