In an interview Sunday morning on CBS News’ “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said “people have had enough” following Saturday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents.
O’Hara noted Pretti’s death “is the third shooting now in less than three weeks” by federal agents. Earlier in the weekend, O’Hara and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that there had only been three homicides in Minneapolis in 2026 so far, and two of those were carried out by federal immigration enforcement agents.
“The Minneapolis Police Department went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds and hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn’t shoot anyone,” O’Hara said.
O’Hara said federal agents blocked his officers and members of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension following the killing.
“Even when our officers initially responded to the scene, our watch commander was not given even the most basic information that is typical in a law enforcement-involved shooting just to ensure that there is potentially no other victims,” O’Hara said. “Since then, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension responded to the scene at my request. They were blocked from the scene yesterday, but they have since returned to the scene and are now canvassing for additional witnesses and evidence that may be there.”
When asked about whether he knows of evidence pointing to Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino’s claim that Pretti was assaulting federal officers before he was shot dead, O’Hara said, “the videos speak for themselves,” adding Pretti lawfully owned his handgun and “did not violate” the state’s gun laws.
“I think it’s deeply concerning the things that are being 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,” O’Hara said. “So I think very obviously there are serious questions that are being raised, and I think the greater issue is, even if there is an investigation that ultimately proves that at the time of the shooting it was legally justified, I don’t think that even matters at this point because there’s just, there is so much outrage and concern around what is happening in the city.”
O’Hara also said it’s “deeply disappointing” to hear Vice President JD Vance’s claims that “local police have been told to stand down” when protesters have “surrounded” federal officers — adding “our cops are tired.”
“I think everyone is kind of waiting for folks on both sides to come together and just figure this thing out. This is not sustainable. This police department has only 600 police officers. We are stretched incredibly thin. This is taking an enormous toll trying to manage all of this chaos on top of having to be the police department for a major city. It’s too much,” O’Hara said.
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