Federal agent shoots man officials say assaulted officer in Minneapolis, prompting protests

CNN

By Danya Gainor, Karina Tsui, CNN

(CNN) — Minneapolis officials called for calm Wednesday night as heated clashes erupted near the scene where a federal agent shot and injured a man after he allegedly assaulted the agent, one week after an immigration agent killed a woman in the city.

The Department of Homeland Security said federal agents were conducting a “targeted traffic stop” when the man, a Venezuelan national, was shot in the leg after he began to resist arrest and “violently assault” one of its officers.

The individual was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the city of Minneapolis said.

In the hours after, demonstrators gathered near the scene, facing off against law enforcement who deployed multiple tear gas canisters, pepper balls and what sounded like flash bangs before officials told people to “go home.”

“I urge anyone that is at the scene to leave immediately,” Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a news conference, calling it an “unlawful assembly.”

The incident comes as the city continues to reel in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, which sparked nationwide protests and exacerbated tensions in a community already on edge over a surge in federal agents.

“For those who have peacefully protested, I applaud you. For those who are taking the bait, you are not helping, and you are not helping the undocumented immigrants of our city. You are not helping the people who call this place home,” Mayor Jacob Frey said at the Wednesday news conference.

Federal agent fired ‘defensive shots,’ DHS says

The incident began at about 6:50 p.m. and involved a Venezuelan man who DHS said is in the United States illegally. The man fled the scene in his vehicle, crashed into a parked car and then ran away on foot, DHS said.

“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,” the post said.

During the struggle, DHS said two people came out of a nearby apartment and attacked the officer using a snow shovel and a broom handle.

After the suspect got loose and joined the attack, the officer fired “defensive shots,” DHS said, striking the initial subject in the leg. The three individuals then ran back into the apartment building, barricading themselves inside, the agency said.

The federal government’s narrative could not immediately be verified.

DHS did not specify how long they were barricaded, but O’Hara said one individual was shot during a “struggle” with law enforcement and later refused to come out of a residence. He was removed by federal agents, who made entry into the residence and took the person to an ambulance.

The officer and initial subject are both in the hospital, and the two other individuals are in custody, DHS said. The statement did not detail how their detention unfolded.

‘This is not sustainable’

Minneapolis leaders are asking the city — once again rocked by violence involving federal law enforcement — to remain calm.

“There’s still a lot that we don’t know at this time, but what I can tell you for certain is that this is not sustainable,” Frey said, demanding again that ICE leave the city.

“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,” Frey said. “We cannot be at place right now in America where we have two governmental entities that are literally fighting one another.”

Echoing the mayor’s remarks, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged residents to remain calm.

“I know you’re angry. I’m angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets,” he wrote on X Wednesday night. “But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants.”

In a post on X, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called the ongoing situation in the state an “insurrection” and accused the governor and mayor of encouraging violence.

“I’m focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary. This is not a threat. It’s a promise,” Blanche wrote.

Meanwhile, smoke hung in the air near the scene late into the evening as officers deployed multiple tear gas canisters on demonstrators, with one striking CNN correspondent Whitney Wild. At one point, it appeared a member of the crowd threw one of the gas canisters back at agents, who then kicked it away.

Video from the CNN crew showed two vehicles that appear to have been recently ransacked and vandalized.

One car had the words “F*ck ICE” plastered over it, while another had “America land of the obey or die” written on it. Both were seen with their trunks open and debris scattered on the ground.

It was not immediately clear who the vehicles belonged to. CNN has reached out to both the FBI and DHS for more information.

A crowd also followed federal agents through the neighborhood, with a line of officers forming a wall behind yellow police tape to block off the road, around 10 minutes from downtown Minneapolis.

A CNN team on the ground witnessed a convoy of officers from the Minneapolis Police Department and the Minnesota State Patrol arriving. While local law enforcement officers have not actively taken part in immigration enforcement operations in the city, they have often been dispatched to the scenes of critical incidents and demonstrations to ensure public safety.

O’Hara told reporters Minneapolis police had secured the scene and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) are processing evidence.

A BCA mobile command center vehicle used by investigators to process crime scenes was visible at the location of the shooting Wednesday, flanked by federal agents securing the perimeter.

The presence of state investigators on scene at the latest shooting by a federal immigration officer was notable, given federal authorities had previously blocked the BCA from participating in the investigation of the shooting of Good.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Josh Campbell and Diego Mendoza contributed to this report.