Minneapolis [US], January 25 : A 37-year-old man was shot and killed by federal immigration agents early Saturday morning (local time) in south Minneapolis, authorities and eyewitnesses confirmed, igniting protests and deepening tensions between local leaders and the federal government, reported CNN.
According to the Minnesota governor's office and local law enforcement, the incident occurred around 9 am (local time) near 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue as agents with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement were conducting enforcement operations in the city. Federal officials described the shooting as an act of self-defense, saying the man "approached Border Patrol officers with a handgun."
However, video reviewed by independent sources tells a starkly different story. Footage shows the man, identified by police as a US citizen and lawful gun owner, on the sidewalk holding only a phone, not a weapon, before agents used pepper spray and force to subdue him, reported CNN.
Witnesses and civil liberties advocates who spoke to journalists said the man "was trying to help others who had been shoved" by agents when he was pepper-sprayed, wrestled to the ground, and then shot multiple times.
The Minneapolis Police Chief confirmed the victim was a resident of the city and that the circumstances surrounding the shooting were still under investigation.
The shooting came just weeks after another fatal encounter in the city involving an ICE officer that resulted in the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen, on January 7. That earlier case has already sparked national scrutiny over federal immigration enforcement tactics.
In response to Saturday's incident, hundreds of protesters gathered in sub-zero temperatures, clashing with law enforcement and demanding answers. Local leaders sharply criticized the federal presence in Minneapolis. Governor Tim Walz said the city and state are "sickened" by the repeated use of deadly force and urged the Trump administration to end the current immigration operation.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the agents' actions, calling the operation necessary for public safety and reiterating that officers acted in defence under dangerous conditions.