City Officials Say the Shooting Involved ICE Agents Near 26th and Nicollet as Crowds Swelled and Clashes Intensified
Federal agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Saturday amid an ongoing immigration enforcement operation, setting off hours of protests and renewed outrage in a city already on edge from earlier fatal encounters involving federal officers.
The shooting occurred near the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue as federal immigration agents were conducting operations tied to the Trump administration’s expanded immigration crackdown. Minneapolis police confirmed that a 37-year-old man was killed but did not immediately release his name. City officials said local police were not involved in the shooting itself, which they described as involving ICE agents operating in the area.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, federal officers fired what they called “defensive shots” after encountering a man who was armed with a handgun and allegedly resisted when agents attempted to disarm him.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara later said authorities believe the man was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. Federal officials said the officer who fired the fatal shot is an eight-year veteran of U.S. Border Patrol.
Video footage obtained by reporters showed a chaotic scene unfolding before the shooting. In the footage, officers are seen shoving protesters as whistles blow and people shout profanities along Nicollet Avenue. At one point, an officer pushes a person wearing a brown jacket who appears to be trying to pull another man away from the confrontation.
The man, who was later shot, is seen holding up his phone as officers close in on him. Moments later, multiple officers surround him, force him to the ground, and strike him as they attempt to restrain his arms. A gunshot is then heard, followed by additional shots, after which officers step back and the man lies motionless in the street.
As word of the shooting spread, hundreds of protesters flooded the area, chanting “ICE out now” and yelling at federal agents to leave the neighborhood. Some officers responded with batons, flash bangs, and tear gas to push crowds back. Garbage dumpsters were dragged into the street to block traffic, and clashes broke out between demonstrators and federal officers as tensions escalated.
“This is only getting worse,” said one bystander near the scene. “People are angry, and they’re scared.”
The shooting came just weeks after another fatal incident involving federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. On Jan. 7, ICE officers fatally shot Renee Good during an enforcement action, an incident that sparked days of protests and drew national attention. A week later, another federal agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan man during an arrest, according to federal officials. Saturday’s killing marked the third shooting involving federal agents in the city this month.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he contacted the White House following the shooting and called on President Donald Trump to halt what DHS has described as its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation. Trump, meanwhile, posted on social media criticizing local leadership and questioning why local police were not protecting federal agents, while sharing images of a gun officials said was recovered at the scene.
Residents near Nicollet Avenue described a neighborhood overwhelmed by sirens, shouting, and fear. One woman who lives nearby said she heard whistles and yelling before seeing officers tape off the street and warn residents to stay back. Within an hour, she said, the area was packed with protesters and law enforcement, traffic was gridlocked, and smoke rose from a dumpster that had been set on fire.
“They’re killing my neighbors,” said Minneapolis resident Josh Koskie as protesters continued to confront federal agents.
City and state officials have urged calm while demanding greater accountability from federal law enforcement operating in Minneapolis. But with protests continuing and questions mounting over the use of force, the latest shooting has deepened a growing sense of trauma and unrest in a city once again at the center of a national debate over immigration enforcement and policing.
