DHS: ICE agent shoots, kills armed Minneapolis man; protests erupt

(The Center Square) – Federal agents shot and killed an armed man in Minneapolis Saturday morning, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.

"At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 MM semi-automatic handgun..." DHS said in a social media post. "The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted."

The DHS post continued: "Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene."

Minneapolis Police said the man was a 37-year-old resident of the city.

Protestors gathered at the scene and began clashing with law enforcement shortly after the shooting. DHS said "crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement."

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara asked the public to stay away from the area and to remain calm, but hours after the shooting, the protests and clashes with law enforcement continued.

DHS said the suspect had two magazines and no identification: "... this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."

Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino said at an afternoon news conference that federal law enforcement officers were seeking to apprehend a noncitizen in the U.S. illegally  who had a criminal history including domestic assault to intentional conflict bodily harm, disorderly conduct and driving without a valid license. 

During the operation, agents were confronted by the man with a gun who ultimately was shot and killed, Bovino said.

More from this section

Dodgers' latest splurge reignites baseball salary cap debate

Pittsburgh Steelers appoint Mike McCarthy as head coach

TikTok in the US goes American, but questions remain

"The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted, fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots, Bovino said. 

In response to the shooting, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz blamed the federal surge of forces into the Twin Cities.

“I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” Walz posted to social media. “The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”

Walz also called for the state to lead the investigation.

"Minnesota's justice system will have the last word on this," Walz said. "It must have the last word. As I told the White House, in no uncertain terms this morning, the federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state will handle it."

This is the third shooting in Minneapolis by federal officials since the Jan. 7 killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during an encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. ICE said Good hit an agent with her car while trying to pull away and the agent fired defensive shots.

Many Republicans are blaming local and state officials for the heightening tension and chaos on the streets in Minneapolis.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee, said it is time for the “rule of law” to be restored, joining the chorus of many Republicans calling for President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and send military forces into the city.

“What is going on in Minnesota is wrong; it is intolerable,” Fleischmann said. “These radical left-wing states . . . we’ve got to get back to our basics in America – respect for one another, love for one another, and the rule of law.”