Minneapolis Police Chief O’Hara on ICE Shootings: “People Have Had Enough,” “This Is Not Sustainable” | Video

MARGARET BRENNAN, CBS NEWS: What have you been able to learn about the shooting? Because we did just hear the claims by Secretary Noem and Mr. Bovino and their version of what happened. Do the videos and evidence back up their descriptions?

MINNEAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF, BRIAN O’HARA: So, unfortunately, we don’t have any official information from federal law enforcement about what has happened. 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, in a law enforcement involved shooting, just to ensure that there is potentially no other victims. 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, are now canvassing for additional witnesses and evidence that may be there.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So do I understand you saying that Minnesota has just begun its investigation today?

O’HARA: There were attempts yesterday to begin the investigation. I do not know what, if anything, was conducted yesterday. I do know that while they were at the scene, more than once, they were not permitted to enter before the scene then was contaminated.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And for our viewers, Minnesota is a little bit different. There is this Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that is the state agency that investigates use of force incidents–they are separate from your police force.

O’HARA: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But from what you have seen in the public space and heard from federal officials, is there any evidence that you know of that Pretti was assaulting the federal officers, as the Border Patrol chief claims?

O’HARA: Well, I have seen the videos, just as thousands of people around the country have, and the videos speak for themselves. 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. 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 just- there is so much outrage and concern around what is happening in the city.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What do you mean it does not matter at this point? You mean the situation on the ground is already- the impression is left?

O’HARA: People have had enough. This is the third shooting now in less than three weeks. 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. And now this is the second American citizen that has been killed. It’s the third shooting within three weeks. People have been speaking out, saying that this was going to happen again. And 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.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you calling on ICE to leave?

O’HARA: We understand that for as long as there has been ICE, there has been immigration enforcement in Minnesota. The problem is not that enforcement is happening. It’s clearly the manner in which these things are happening. These tactics are very obviously not safe, and it is generating a lot of outrage and fear in the community.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Let me ask you about what we know, because DHS claims that Pretti had a weapon on him. You implied Pretti was carrying at the time of the incident, when you said he was a legal firearm owner with a license to carry. Do you know if the weapon remained concealed or was it ever brandished?

O’HARA: I have seen different experts and people analyzing the video that have made statements about that. I cannot speculate, but I do not have any, any evidence that I’ve seen that suggests that the weapon was brandished.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, because we checked the Minnesota gun permit rules allow for concealed carry, and there are no restrictions on carrying in a protest.

O’HARA: Yes, that’s right.

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MARGARET BRENNAN: So did he have magazines full of ammunition at the scene? Because both the president of the United States and the border security chief said that he did, and Bovino directly accused you of not saying that publicly. He said the police chief omitted the fact that the suspect had a gun and magazines full of ammunition.

O’HARA: Well, that- what they are omitting is that they are not sharing any information with us, and that they blocked state law enforcement, which is the agency that conducts the overwhelming majority of police involved shootings from the scene. So I don’t know how I’m supposed to share information with the public that they are not sharing with us.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you have not seen evidence that there were multiple magazines, but- but would it even be illegal if that were the case?

O’HARA: I don’t think there is any relevance if someone is lawfully exercising their Second Amendment right to carry. The only question would be if they were using the weapon in a- for an unlawful purpose.