Minneapolis Police Chief Says Man Killed by Federal Agent Was Licensed Gun Owner, DHS Disputes Characterization

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a press conference that the man fatally shot by a federal agent was legally permitted to carry a firearm, offering a sharply different characterization from that later provided by federal authorities.

Video of O’Hara’s remarks, aired by C-SPAN and later shared online by Midas Touch’s digital editor, shows the police chief explaining that the man who was killed had minimal prior contact with law enforcement.

In the footage, O’Hara states that the deceased individual’s “only interaction with law enforcement was for traffic tickets.”

He went on to add, “We believe he is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”

In contrast, Breitbart News reported that the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement asserting that the armed man who was shot and killed in Minneapolis posed a grave threat to officers.

According to DHS, the individual “wanted to…massacre law enforcement.”

The department said the man “approached U.S. Border Patrol Officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.”

DHS further detailed the encounter in its statement, saying: “The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but [he] was pronounced dead at the scene.”