WASHINGTON: A federal immigration agent shot a man in Minneapolis during a struggle outside a residence, city officials said, marking the second shooting involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city in a week.
The man suffered a non-life-threatening leg wound, while local leaders and residents continued to protest the federal agents’ operations, calling for their immediate withdrawal from the city and state.
According to AFP, the shooting marked the second time in a week an ICE agent had shot someone in Minneapolis, with the previous shooting resulting in the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good on January 7, sparking ongoing protests against the presence of federal agents in the northern US city.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooting on Wednesday resulted from a struggle in front of a residence between a man and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on the north side of the city.
“During the struggle, the federal agent discharged his weapon, striking one adult male,” O’Hara told reporters at a press conference.
The man suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg and was transported to a hospital for treatment, officials said.
“We understand there is anger,” officials wrote on the midwestern city’s X account, adding that “the City of Minneapolis again demands that ICE leave the city and the state immediately.”
O’Hara said Wednesday’s shooting generated a crowd of protesters around where it happened, with some throwing fireworks at officers.
– ‘This is not sustainable’ –
Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed the shooting in a post on X, saying “an illegal alien from Venezuela” was targeted for a traffic stop and resisted arrest.
“While the subject and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle,” DHS said.
The officer then “fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” hitting the initial subject in the leg.
Elected officials in Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota have decried the actions of Department of Homeland Security agents, including those with ICE.
“This is not sustainable,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters, adding: “We have ICE agents throughout our city and throughout our state who, along with Border Patrol, are creating chaos.”
“This is not the path that we should be on right now in America.”
In a video posted to social media earlier Wednesday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz decried “the chaos, disruption and trauma the federal government is raining down on our community,” describing door-to-door interrogations by “armed, masked, undertrained” ICE agents.
