ICE Agent Shoots Venezuelan Man in Leg During Minneapolis Arrest Attempt, DHS Says
A federal immigration agent shot and injured a Venezuelan man in the leg in north Minneapolis on the evening of Jan. 14, in what Homeland Security says was a defensive response during an arrest attempt that sparked fresh protests in the city.
The shooting came during a targeted traffic stop and arrest operation and marks the second federal-agent shooting in Minneapolis in one week, following the fatal Jan. 7 shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer. The timing has intensified tensions across the community.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by the Venezuelan man, who they say drove off and crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot. The DHS statement says a struggle ensued between the man and an ICE agent, and two other individuals emerged from a nearby apartment attacking the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle.
Officials say the agent fired a single shot into the man’s leg “fearing for his life,” and that the wounded man and the injured officer were taken to hospitals. All three individuals who attacked the officer were later detained.
Follow The Coffman Chronicle on NewsBreak for daily breaking political coverage.
“This incident underscores the dangerous environment our officers are operating in,” DHS said in a statement, urging public calm and cooperation.
The shooting immediately drew a large crowd, with protesters clashing with federal agents, throwing objects and setting off fireworks, and law enforcement deploying tear gas and flash-bang devices to disperse crowds. Local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara, called for peace and criticized the scale of federal immigration operations.
Authorities have not released detailed criminal charges for the individuals involved, and independent investigations into both this and last week’s fatal shooting are underway.
What happens next…
May very well shape Minneapolis’s response to federal immigration enforcement and ongoing legal challenges in Minnesota.
Follow The Coffman Chronicle on NewsBreak for daily breaking political coverage.