US immigration officer shoots woman fatally in Minneapolis

A US immigration officer has fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, igniting a fierce debate as local leaders dismissed the Trump administration’s version claiming it was self-defense.

The Department of Homeland Security labeled the woman, Renee Nicole Good, a “violent rioter” who allegedly attempted to run down Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

However, Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis stated, “This was an agent recklessly exercising power that led to someone’s death”, urging ICE officials in foul-mouthed remarks to exit the city.

Hundreds of ICE personnel have been sent to the city as part of a nationwide initiative by the White House aimed at combating illegal immigration.

Footage shared on social media by witnesses reportedly depicts the moment of the shooting, which took place around 10:25 am local time on Wednesday.

From different angles, a maroon SUV is seen obstructing a residential street in Minneapolis.

A group of individuals, seemingly protesting, fills the sidewalk.

Police vehicles are apparent nearby. Immigration agents arrive at the parked vehicle, exit their truck, and instruct the woman inside to step out of the SUV. One agent pulls at the driver’s door handle.

Another agent stands by the front of the car.

It’s unclear precisely how near the agent was or if he was hit by the vehicle based on the clips reviewed by the BBC right after the incident.

That agent fires as the maroon SUV tries to escape.

Three gunshots are audible, and the SUV is seen veering off and colliding with a nearby parked car.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that an ICE officer was “viciously” struck. “It’s hard to believe he survived, but he’s now recovering in the hospital,” he mentioned.

The Republican president further accused the “Radical Left” of “threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents persistently”.

Brian O’Hara, the police chief of Minneapolis, remarked that the driver was in her vehicle, obstructing the roadway on Portland Avenue. She was then approached on foot by a federal law enforcement representative, “and she began to drive off”.

Kristi Noem, US Homeland Security Secretary, claimed the woman was “stalking and obstructing” officers throughout the day and attempted to “use her vehicle as a weapon” in an act of “domestic terrorism” against the officer.

Noem indicated that the federal agent discharged “defensive shots” and was injured himself, before receiving treatment and being released from a local hospital.

However, the Minneapolis City Council asserted in a statement that Good was merely “looking after her neighbors” when she was shot and killed.

The same agent had also been struck by a vehicle in the line of duty in June, Noem added.

She stated that ICE operations in the city would proceed, and the FBI would investigate the incident from Wednesday.

Emily Heller recounted to CNN that she was at home when she observed ICE agents clashing with protesters outside. She mentioned hearing agents yelling at a woman in an SUV, then an agent attempted to open her car door, after which the driver reversed and attempted to leave.

“An ICE officer stepped directly in front of her car and shouted, ‘Stop!’ and then – she was already moving – and then, point-blank, shot her through her windshield in the face,” Heller stated to the US network.

Minnesota State Governor Tim Walz also pushed back against federal narratives regarding the incident.

“Don’t trust this propaganda machine,” Walz commented in response to a Department of Homeland Security statement about the shooting.

“The state will guarantee a thorough, fair, and speedy investigation to ensure accountability and justice.”

Prominent Democrats, including former Vice-President Kamala Harris and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, also issued statements. Harris labeled the Trump administration’s rendition of events as “gaslighting”.

Demonstrations and marches transpired across various parts of the city as some angry Minneapolis residents denounced the shooting and demanded ICE’s exit.

The primary gathering occurred near the shooting site, situated about a mile from where George Floyd was murdered in 2020 by a city police officer, which sparked global anti-racism protests.

Protests were also being planned in other US cities, including New Orleans, Miami, Seattle, and New York City.

Minneapolis Public Schools declared that classes were canceled for the remainder of the week, “due to safety concerns”. This follows reports of federal agents making arrests outside a high school on Wednesday.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has assigned an additional 2,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis region in reaction to claims of welfare fraud in the state.

During the press conference on Wednesday, the mayor stated that ICE was not enhancing the safety of the city. “They’re disrupting families, they’re fostering disorder in our streets,” he expressed.

This deployment, which commenced on Sunday, marks one of the largest concentrations of Department of Homeland Security staff in a US city in recent times.

It follows an immigration enforcement initiative initiated by ICE late last year targeting individuals in Minneapolis who had been issued deportation orders, including those from the Somali community.

That community has often faced criticism from Trump, who has referred to them as “garbage”.

“I don’t want them in our nation. I’ll be candid with you,” the president stated. “Their nation has problems for a reason. Their country is terrible.”

Trump subsequently reaffirmed his comments following a YouTube video by a conservative online creator accusing daycare facilities run by Somali immigrants of widespread fraud.

In retaliation, Trump withheld federal childcare funding from Minnesota.

The Trump administration has dispatched ICE agents to various other cities across the US, where they have executed thousands of arrests as part of what the administration describes as a crackdown on crime and unauthorized immigrants.