A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” connected to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
According to Minnesota officials, even though state investigators had obtained a search warrant for the scene, federal agents blocked them from entering the area where the 37-year-old was shot by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on Saturday.
Federal and local officials are set to appear in court on Monday afternoon for a hearing on the temporary restraining order.
Ahead of that hearing, former FBI agent Rob D’Amico told MS NOW’s Alex Witt that the judge’s order was quite unusual.
“It’s unheard of that the federal government has to have a court tell them to retain evidence, that it’s not touched,” the MS NOW national security and intelligence analyst said Sunday.
But even without access to that evidence, D’Amico said, videos of Pretti’s shooting could be enough for state and local officials to move ahead with the investigation.
“Even without physical evidence, I think the states and locals can get an indictment with just the video,” he said. “I think the video is that blatant on what happened that some of the physical evidence at this point doesn’t need to be in there to get an indictment.”
“There’s not one part in that video where he assaults a federal officer,” D’Amico added, saying it appeared that Pretti was trying to help another person who was pushed by federal agents when the confrontation ensued.
D’Amico said the videos directly contradict the administration’s narrative of the shooting. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said officers were acting in self-defense after Pretti brandished a weapon, and Greg Bovino, commander-at-large of the Border Patrol, told reporters he believed that Pretti planned to “massacre” federal agents.
“I’m insulted,” D’Amico told Witt. “I’m horrified that these people are getting up and saying what they’re saying, because if you look at the video, it is a flat-out lie.”
He added: “I think we are at a very dangerous place that they can tell us what they’re saying happened, and we’re looking at video, knowing that is absolutely, 100% not happening. … He did not go for his weapon; he didn’t have it in his hand.”
You can watch D’Amico’s full analysis in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW. She was previously a segment producer for “AYMAN” and “The Mehdi Hasan Show.”