MINNEAPOLIS — Newly released search warrant documents reveal Minneapolis police officers were attempting to arrest Dolal Idd for an illegal gun sale before he was killed in an exchange of gunfire with officers on Dec. 30.
The documents, filed in Hennepin County District Monday, include a search warrant application for Idd's Eden Prairie home filed in the early morning hours of Dec. 31, just hours after Idd's death. The new documents also include the signed search warrant authorization, and a receipt showing the results of the search.
The search warrant application, filed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), said members of the Minneapolis Police Department's First Precinct Community Response Team (CRT) were attempting to buy a MAC-10 high capacity pistol from Idd using a confidential informant on the evening of Dec. 30.
A MAC-10 is a submachine gun similar to an Uzi.
The document states that the MPD officers were aware Idd was "selling firearms illegally and prohibited from possessing firearms."
That stems from a 2018 incident in which Idd fired a gun inside his home. The complaint in that case said that at the time, Idd was not allowed in the house, because "he scares the children." But at 1 a.m., while kids slept in the basement, he shot into the shower wall. When police found him, he still had the gun, which had been reported stolen out of North Dakota.
On Dec. 30, according to the search warrant application, Idd arrived at the Holiday Gas Station on Cedar Ave. in a vehicle with a female passenger, and a "gunfight ensued" as officers attempted to move in to arrest him. Minneapolis police released a portion of police body camera video the next day, which they said showed Idd fired first at officers, before police returned fire and killed him.
Idd died at the scene.
Due to a pre-existing agreement between county attorneys of Minnesota's five largest metropolitan counties, the Dakota County Attorney's Office said it will review the case and determine whether the MPD officers' use of deadly force was legal. It would also handle any resulting prosecution.
In the newly released documents, a BCA agent said a handgun was found in the vehicle between Idd's body and the center console. And in a press release, the BCA said the MAC-10 gun was also found in the car.
The document also states that BCA agents interviewed the woman who was in the car, who said she was Idd's girlfriend and told investigators she knew him as "Bird," a nickname for Idd also known to police.
Before searching Idd's home in Eden Prairie, BCA agents talked with Eden Prairie police, who told them about Idd's history and their experience responding to calls at the home on Lee Drive. According to Eden Prairie police records, they had 19 different incidents with Idd and 27 calls to the Lee Drive home in the last six years.
The 23-year-old had been arrested several times over the years on drug possession charges as well as theft for stealing thousands of dollars of iPhones from a store, a laptop from a Craigslist seller and breaking into vehicles.
The search warrant notes the Lee Drive residence was also the home of Idd's brother Mohamed Idd, who is currently in jail on murder charges. Another brother, Dalal Idd, is incarcerated for beating up and robbing a man at Life Time in Eden Prairie, then breaking into a random home nearby and beating up the homeowner.
In the application, a BCA investigator asked for a warrant to conduct a nighttime search of Idd's Eden Prairie address for possible firearms, ammunition and other items based on his criminal history. The document cites an ATF report listing Idd as possessing a stolen 12-gauge shotgun in a 2018 case.
The BCA said the nighttime search was necessary to prevent the movement or destruction of any evidence.
The document shows the search warrant application was filed at 12:13 a.m. on Dec. 31, and electronically signed by Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill at 12:20 a.m.
A receipt said the BCA executed the search at Idd's Eden Prairie address around 2:21 a.m. of Dec. 31, and showed no firearms or other items listed in the search warrant were found in the home. They expected to find guns there, in part, because the informant involved in Idd's illegal sale told Minneapolis police he kept other guns at the home.
Deputies from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office assisted in the search at Idd's home. Idd's father, Bayle Gelle, has alleged that deputies mistreated the family during the search. However, Sheriff David Hutchinson released body camera video on Sunday which he said shows that deputies acted professionally and in a respectful manner.
Also Monday, the Dakota County Attorney's Office said it would review the case to determine whether the MPD officers who shot Idd were "legally justified to use deadly force under Minnesota law." The Dakota County Attorney's Office said it would also handle any resulting prosecution.
Earlier, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office released a statement saying no law enforcement agency has presented anything related to the investigation to its office. The statement also explained why the Hennepin County Attorney would not handle the case: an agreement reached among the various metro area county attorneys last year.
"On June 29, 2020, five county attorneys from the Twin Cities Metropolitan area signed a protocol on how to handle any police use of deadly force incident resulting in a death of a civilian. Under that protocol, the county attorney’s office in which the deadly force incident occurred will not be involved with the investigation and decisions on possible prosecution of the officers," the statement said.