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Minneapolis shooting prompts spread of misrepresented and fabricated images
Summary
After the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, multiple images and videos circulated online that were misrepresented or fabricated; fact-checks found some were AI-generated and others showed unrelated people.
Content
A fatal shooting in Minneapolis, in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot Renee Good, was followed by a wave of images and clips shared on social media. Many posts claimed to show the victim or the officer involved. Subsequent fact-checking found several of those images were either manipulated or belonged to other people. Experts and reporters identified mismatches between the circulated material and verified footage.
Verified points:
- Images purported to show the ICE officer without a mask were fabricated; forensic review indicated some were likely AI-generated and do not match verified footage.
- Two photos shared as showing the victim were actually of former WWE figure Renee Paquette with her child, and were posted online previously by Paquette.
- A photo of a woman with short pink hair was identified as Gabriela Szczepankiewicz from an unrelated academic post, not the victim.
- An image of a man with a Nazi-style neck tattoo comes from a separate video and does not match the officer, and a circulated clip of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis predates the shooting and is unrelated.
Summary:
The circulation of manipulated and misidentified images added confusion to reporting about the Minneapolis shooting and has been addressed by multiple fact-checks. Undetermined at this time.
