Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that federal immigration agents shot and killed a man on Nicollet Avenue Saturday morning, marking the third agents shot a civilian in the city this month.
O’Hara, who appeared at a late-morning news conference with Mayor Jacob Frey, said the man was a 37-year-old white Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen whose only known infractions were traffic tickets. O’Hara said police learned of the man’s identity when they were sent to the hospital where he was transported. He did not disclose the man’s name.
In reaction to a media question about the federal government’s assertion that the man had a gun, O’Hara said the man has a permit to carry firearms. The chief said police have not received information from the federal government about what led up to the shooting, and that Minneapolis police have limited information based on a video of the shooting posted on social media.
The shooting occurred on Nicollet Avenue near W. 26th street. The popular street is affectionately known as “Eat Street,” because it’s home to several ethnic restaurants and other businesses that draw customers throughout the day. The area is also racially diverse.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said on X that he spoke with the White House after learning of the shooting, and called on President Donald Trump to immediately end the immigration enforcement campaign.
“Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” the governor posted on X. “Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
One video posted on social media appears to show several ICE agents tackling a man to the ground, at least one agent draws his gun, and then the sound of several gunshots is heard.
RELATED STORIES
This is the third time this month a federal immigration agent shot a civilian in Minneapolis following the deployment of thousands of federal agents to Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge, a targeted immigration enforcement campaign.
ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in south Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Another unnamed ICE agent shot and wounded Julio Cesar Sosa Celis in north Minneapolis on Jan. 14 during a struggle as the agent was trying to apprehend Sosa Celis.
Minneapolis Council Member Aisha Chughtai, who represents the area, posted on X that she was at the scene Saturday morning. She said more than 100 ICE and Border Patrol agents were present, and that they deployed chemical irritants against people at the scene.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released a statement saying her office is aware of the shooting and working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) to “coordinate a state response.” The FBI has refused to allow local and state authorities access to their investigations into the Good and Sosa Celis shootings.
“The scene must be secured by local law enforcement for the collection and preservation of evidence,” Moriarty said in the statement. “We expect the federal government to allow the BCA to process the scene.”
Homeland Security’s account
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a photo of a handgun on its official X account and said that a man holding the gun approached Border Patrol officers as they were trying to arrest an undocumented person for assault. DHS said the federal officers tried to disarm the man, but he resisted.
The ensuing struggle led to one of the agents firing “defensive shots” to protect himself and fellow agents, the agency said. Medics tried to render aid but the man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to DHS.
The agency said about 200 people arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting, and federal officers deployed “crowd control measures.”
Minnesota’s elected officials react
Elected officials are calling the shooting an execution.
“This appears to be an execution by immigration enforcement,” Rep. Ilhan Omar said in a written statement. “I am absolutely heartbroken, horrified, and appalled that federal agents murdered another member of our community.”
Omar added that Trump has turned Minnesota into “a war zone.”
Minnesota DFL party chair Richard Carlbom issued a statement calling the shooting an execution and demanding that ICE leave Minnesota.
“The video is horrifyingly clear: federal agents executed a man in broad daylight,” Carlbom said, adding that “untrained federal agents are unleashing militarized chaos on our street, terrorizing our communities of color and repeatedly using violent force.”
Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, who represents the neighboring Ward 9, called the shooting an execution in a statement on social media. Chavez said the man was an observer who was “out in the community because they care about our immigrant neighbors.”
“ICE is a brutal invading force that acts without accountability or the most basic respect for human dignity or life,” Senate majority leader Erin Murphy said in a written statement. “ICE needs to get the f*** out of our state before they do this again, and these agents of violence need to be brought to justice.”
Sahan Journal reporter Joey Peters contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
