The shooting happened on the 600 block of 24th Avenue North, roughly 4.5 miles from where an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good a week earlier, FOX9 reports.
A protest has erupted in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly shot a Venezuelan man during a federal traffic stop on Wednesday night.
The shooting happened on the 600 block of 24th Avenue North, roughly 4.5 miles from where an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good a week earlier, FOX9 reports.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), federal officers were conducting “a targeted traffic stop” around 6:50 p.m. on January 14.
DHS said the officers stopped a man from Venezuela who was in the United States illegally. The agency said the man drove away, crashed into a parked car, and then fled on foot.
After officers caught up with the individual, two other people emerged from a nearby apartment and all three began attacking the officer, DHS said.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said.
The City of Minneapolis said the man who was shot sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital.
DHS confirmed the officer involved was also hospitalised, though the extent of the officer’s injuries is not known. The two other people involved in the incident were arrested, DHS said.
The latest shooting occurred just a week after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis, prompting the deployment of more than 2,000 federal agents to the city.
In the hours following the shooting, protesters gathered at the scene, lighting fireworks and throwing snowballs at law enforcement officers. Authorities responded with chemical irritants and flash bangs in an effort to disperse the crowd. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara described the gathering as an unlawful assembly and urged people to “leave immediately.”
“This is already a very tense situation, and we do not need this to escalate any further,” O’Hara said. He added that MPD secured the crime scene, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and FBI are processing evidence.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said state investigators were on the scene and appealed for calm.
“I know you’re angry. I’m angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets. But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants,” Walz said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the situation was not sustainable and called for peaceful protests.
“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in. And at the same time, we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” he said.
“And we're in a position right now where we have residents that are asking the very limited number of police officers that we have to fight ICE agents on the street to stand by their neighbors. We cannot be at a place right now in America where we have two governmental entities that are literally fighting one another.”
Frey also addressed conduct by ICE while warning protesters not to escalate tensions.
“So let's be very clear. I’ve seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and is intolerable. If it were your city, it would be unacceptable there too and for anyone that is taking the bait tonight, stop,” he said.
“That is not helpful. Go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos,” he said. “And I have seen thousands of people throughout our city peacefully protesting. For those that have peacefully protested, I applaud you. For those that are taking the bait, you are not helping and you are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city.”
The City of Minneapolis said in a statement that it was aware of the anger and frustration in the community and again demanded that ICE leave the city and state.
“We stand by our immigrant and refugee communities – know that you have our full support,” the city said. Officials said they would provide additional information on Thursday.
Authorities said federal agents physically moved people away from the shooting scene, and law enforcement continued to deploy chemical irritants on protesters. Some protesters reportedly suffered minor injuries from the irritants.
A video shared on social media showed the interior of a home where the man shot by ICE had fled. According to witnesses, federal officials entered the residence to remove the individual, and both the man and the officer involved were taken to hospital. No other hospital transports were reported, though a person inside the residence suffered an anxiety attack.
DHS provided further details in a statement: “At 6:50 PM CT, federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022. In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car. The subject then fled on foot.
“The law enforcement officer caught up to the subject on foot and attempted to apprehend him when the subject began to resist and violently assault the officer.
“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.
“As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by the two individuals, the original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick. Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired defensive shots to defend his life.
“The initial subject was hit in the leg. All three subjects ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside. The attacked officer and subject are both in the hospital. Both attackers are in custody.”
Minneapolis City Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw said she responded to calls from constituents reporting the shooting. She confirmed the incident involved ICE and said tear gas was deployed as the crowd grew. She added that the situation was “getting scarier and scarier.”
Investigations by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI are ongoing, and authorities continued efforts late into the night to manage the growing crowds and maintain order in the area.