Editor’s note: ICE officials say a woman was shot and killed Wednesday morning in south Minneapolis after attempting to run over agents with her car. Witnesses dispute ICE’s version of what happened. Mayor Jacob Frey and other city officials are expected to speak to reporters shortly.
12:23 | Frey demands ICE leave Minneapolis
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is expected to speak shortly. In a statement, he said “the presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city and making our community less safe. We are demanding that ICE leave the city and state immediately.”
12:14 p.m. | Brian Bakst in St. Paul
The State Emergency Operation Center has been activated. For reference, this is the multi-agency team that crops up during major incidents. You'll remember it from the post-George Floyd murder.
11:50 a.m. | ICE says agent, ‘fearing for his life’, kills protester
Federal authorities say an ICE agent, “fearing for his life” killed a woman during a confrontation Wednesday in south Minneapolis.
City officials are expected to speak at 12:15 p.m.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin released a statement that said, in part:
“Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism.
“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.
“He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers.
“The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. Thankfully, the ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.”
11:22 a.m.
Wednesday’s shooting happened a day after the Department of Homeland Security announced that “the largest DHS operation ever is happening right now in Minnesota.”
The agency said it was deploying 2,000 law enforcement officers to the Twin Cities — an escalation of an immigration crackdown that started more than a month earlier.
MPR News contacted both DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday to confirm the number of agents being deployed to Minnesota. DHS responded with a statement from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, saying, “While for the safety of our officers we do not get into law enforcement footprint, DHS has surged law enforcement and has already made more than 1,000 arrests of murderers, rapists, pedophiles and gang members.”
Amid the reported surge of federal agents, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was in the Twin Cities on Tuesday.
Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday had sharply criticized the federal enforcement effort, raising concerns about both the scale of the operation and the lack of coordination with state officials.
11:13 a.m.
Minneapolis council member Robin Wonsley posted on social media she is on the ground with other council members. The City of Minneapolis X account shared that Mayor Jacob Frey is “demanding ICE to leave the city and state immediately.”
11:08 a.m. | Ben Hovland in Minneapolis
A witness to Wednesday’s shooting in south Minneapolis told MPR News that she saw a federal agent shoot a woman several times.
Emily Heller lives near 33rd and Portland and said she woke up to a commotion outside her home. She said she saw a car blocking traffic on Portland Avenue that appeared to be part of a protest against federal law enforcement operations.
Heller said she heard ICE agents telling the driver, a woman, to “get out of here.”
“She was trying to turn around, and the ICE agent was in front of her car, and he pulled out a gun and put it right in — like, his midriff was on her bumper — and he reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times,” Heller said.
Heller said it appeared the woman then accelerated and traveled about 100 feet before striking a utility pole and some other vehicles. She could be seen slumped over inside her car.
10:59 a.m.
Gov. Tim Walz said his public safety team is aware of an ICE-related shooting and will share information as they learn more.
“In the meantime, I ask folks to remain calm,” Walz said in the post.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also confirmed the shooting involved an ICE agent.
“The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city,” Frey said in the post. “We’re demanding ICE to leave the city immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities.”
10:45 a.m.
Witnesses reported a person was shot in south Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, amid a large presence of federal law enforcement officers.
It was not immediately clear who may have been shot, or who may have fired the gunshots.
A witness told an MPR News journalist at the scene near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue that they saw CPR being performed on someone who was injured. That person was taken away in an ambulance.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino was at the scene, among other federal agents.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a public radio network for the US state of Minnesota. With its three services, MPR News, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest.
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