And this is where the story gets much harder to ignore. WIRED reviewed federal court records showing that Cuni has repeatedly been connected to arrests that judges later found unlawful. In one case, a judge said an arrest document contained false information and described the warrant as “fraudulent.” In another, doorbell video was found to largely contradict Cuni’s sworn description of an arrest. Government lawyers also withdrew sworn representations involving Cuni in a separate case after a judge described them as inaccurate.

The allegations involving force are equally serious. Court filings accuse Cuni of shocking a handcuffed man with a Taser during an arrest that allegedly left him with a broken tooth. Activists in Minneapolis have also alleged that Cuni was one of the agents seen forcing a pregnant woman to the ground during an operation, although WIRED said it could not independently confirm that identification. These are allegations, not criminal convictions — but combined with the court findings, they raise obvious questions about oversight and accountability.

Now Cuni’s name has surfaced at another highly controversial operation. Federal officials say agents were trying to arrest Belgal and opened fire after believing his vehicle endangered officers; Belgal’s attorneys and New York officials are demanding a transparent investigation and release of the available video. Authorities say agents did not know his young son was in the back seat when the shooting happened.

That is the question this case leaves hanging: when courts have already questioned an officer’s arrests, paperwork and sworn accounts, what level of review should take place before that officer continues leading armed enforcement operations? Whatever the investigation ultimately determines about Thursday’s shooting, Cuni’s documented court history deserves serious scrutiny — and the public deserves clear answers about exactly what happened in that car and who fired the shots.

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Sources Google, WIRED,