Courtesy: CBS (YouTube)
A 37-year-old woman died Tuesday after being shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, sparking immediate conflict between federal and local officials over what actually happened during the deadly encounter.
The shooting occurred on a residential street at 34th Street and Portland Avenue as part of a major immigration enforcement operation that has deployed more than 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis and nearby St. Paul. The incident has inflamed tensions in a city still scarred by the death of George Floyd in 2020.
Federal account claims self-defense
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, speaking near the U.S.-Mexico border shortly after the incident, said ICE agents were conducting an enforcement action when their vehicles became stuck in snow. According to her account, agents were attempting to free their vehicles when a woman attacked them and allegedly attempted to run them over with her car.
The ICE officer fired what Noem described as defensive shots to protect himself and others around him. The Department of Homeland Security characterized the woman as a violent rioter who weaponized her vehicle, and Noem went further by calling the woman’s actions domestic terrorism.
Minneapolis officials dispute the narrative
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey presented a dramatically different version of events during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. The mayor accused federal authorities of trying to spin the incident as self-defense and said he had personally viewed video of what happened.
Frey characterized the shooting as an agent recklessly using power that resulted in someone dying. He emphasized that the massive ICE presence in the city has created chaos and made the community less safe rather than more secure.
What police observed at the scene
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara provided additional details after arriving at the scene. Officers responding to reports of a deadly force incident found the woman shot in the head inside her crashed vehicle. She was transported to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
O’Hara said the woman, described as a middle-aged white woman, appeared to have been sitting in a car blocking the street when she was approached on foot by a federal law enforcement officer. As she began to drive off, at least two shots were fired and her car crashed on the side of the roadway.
The police chief noted there was no indication the woman was the target of any immigration enforcement investigation. He confirmed she was alone in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, though her spouse later arrived at the hospital. O’Hara said he was very concerned that someone unarmed in a vehicle had been shot, though he acknowledged such shootings can sometimes be justified depending on circumstances.
Investigation and community response
The FBI and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have taken over investigation of the scene. Protesters gathered at the shooting location, with videos showing anger directed at federal agents. Crime scene tape cordoned off the residential street where a maroon SUV with its door ajar sat crashed into a white vehicle near a snow bank.
Mayor Frey called on ICE agents to leave the city immediately, using an expletive to emphasize his demand. He said the federal presence was ripping families apart and sowing chaos in the streets, urging Minneapolis residents to respond with unity, courage and compassion rather than giving in to provocation.
Minnesota Senator Tina Smith echoed concerns about the volatile situation and also called for ICE agents to leave the state for everyone’s safety.
The White House responded sharply to the mayor’s criticisms, with a statement calling Frey a scumbag who should be ashamed of himself for his comments about ICE agents.ICE shooting, Minneapolis news, immigration enforcement, federal agents, police shooting, Minnesota news, Jacob Frey, Homeland Security, law enforcement, breaking news
Source: Information compiled from BBC News reporting and official statements.
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