Minneapolis Police Chief Admits Facts May Not Matter as the Narrative Has Already Been Set [WATCH]

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara addressed the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti during an appearance Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan, saying public anger toward federal immigration enforcement has overshadowed factual findings in the case.

Pretti was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Jan. 24 while he was interfering with an operation involving immigration enforcement in Minneapolis.

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The incident, one of several recent law-enforcement shootings in the city, sparked protests and heightened tensions between federal, state, and local authorities.

During the televised interview, O’Hara was questioned about whether an investigation into the Pretti shooting would affect public perception of the event.

The chief said that even if the investigation ultimately shows the shooting was legally justified, he believes that conclusion may not matter amid widespread anger at federal immigration agencies.

“Even if there is an investigation that ultimately proves that at the time of the shooting it was legally justified, I don’t even think that matters at this point because people are angry at ICE,” O’Hara said.

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O’Hara acknowledged that Pretti had a legal right to carry a firearm in public, noting that Minnesota law allows for lawful concealed carry by individuals who meet state requirements.

He also said he does not have definitive information about whether Pretti brandished a weapon at the time of the shooting, saying he has not seen evidence indicating that occurred.

“I think it’s deeply concerning the things that are being said,” O’Hara said.

“This is an individual that was a city resident. It appears that he was present, exercising his First Amendment rights to record law enforcement activity and also exercising his Second Amendment rights to lawfully be armed in a public space in the city.”

Federal and local accounts differ over the actions leading up to the shooting.

The Department of Homeland Security has stated that Pretti approached Border Patrol agents with a handgun and resisted attempts to disarm him, which federal officials have described as a threat to officer safety.

O’Hara said that state authorities initially faced obstacles in investigating the scene.

He noted that state law enforcement investigators were blocked from accessing the site of the shooting by federal officials, making it difficult to begin a local probe immediately.

Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has since resumed its investigation, canvassing witnesses and gathering evidence at the location where Pretti was shot.

The Pretti shooting followed the Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Nicole Good, another fatal encounter between federal immigration agents and a civilian who was interfering in a federal law enforcement operation in Minneapolis that also drew national attention and local protests.

O’Hara noted that public frustration has been growing in the city amid a series of recent violent incidents.

He said that Minneapolis law enforcement officers have worked throughout the winter to address threats to public safety, including violent crime and unrest tied to immigration enforcement actions, and that the recent shootings have intensified scrutiny of federal tactics.

“People have had enough,” O’Hara said during the broadcast.