A federal Border Patrol agent shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Sunday, local and federal officials said, the second such incident this month during a crackdown on immigration enforcement in the northern US city that has drawn fierce protests from residents and local politicians.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said a Border Patrol agent shot in self-defense after trying to disarm a man who local police said was a U.S. citizen. Federal officials say the man who was shot approached the agents with a handgun and two magazines.
"This appears to be a situation where an individual wanted to cause maximum damage and massacre law enforcement," Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official who leads local operations, said at a news conference. He said his agents were searching for an immigrant before the shooting. Bovino did not provide details about what led to the shooting, which he said was under investigation.
Tensions are rising between Democratic state and local officials, who argue that the presence of thousands of immigration agents has made the Minneapolis area less safe, and US President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders, who accuse Democrats of fomenting resistance and failing to protect immigration agents.
Police: Man legally possessed weapon
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the man killed today was 37 years old, a city resident and legal gun owner with no criminal record other than a traffic violation. O'Hara did not release the man's name.
A video circulating on social media and aired by cable news stations shows people wearing masks and tactical vests wrestling with a man on a snowy street before shots are fired. The man falls to the ground, followed by several more shots.
Later, video footage from the area showed armed and masked agents using tear gas against a growing group of protesters, who chanted "shame" and called them "traitors."
Local and state police arrived to confront the crowd as federal agents retreated from the scene.
O'Hara asked people to avoid the area and said the shooting scene was a "volatile scene."
"Please don't destroy our city," he said.
The British newspaper The Guardian reports that the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper has identified the person killed by federal authorities as Alex Jeffrey Pretty (37), of South Minneapolis.
The main city newspaper cited sources it cannot name, but which, it says, are "familiar with the investigation."
The Guardian also reports that O'Hara said that the man, whose name he did not provide, did not have a serious criminal history and had minor violations such as parking tickets on his record.
The Guardian states that it has not independently confirmed the victim's identity.
Reuters reports that Trump, who, according to a White House official, was informed of the shooting, accused local elected officials of fomenting resistance.
"The Mayor and Governor are fomenting rebellion, with their arrogant, dangerous and dangerous rhetoric," Trump wrote on social media.
Several hours later, after federal agents appeared to have left the scene, the situation partially calmed down, although protesters remained in the area, Reuters reported.
Klobučar: Trump and his "lieutenants" should watch the video; Mueller: Domestic terrorist attempted to assassinate federal authorities...
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar took to social media to urge Trump and his "lieutenants" to watch the video of the shooting, the BBC reports.
She also called on Republicans in Congress to break their silence and "stop being complicit."
The BBC reports that key Trump adviser Stephen Miller responded by writing: "A domestic terrorist attempted to assassinate federal law enforcement, and this is your response?"
"You and the entire Democratic leadership of this country are fanning the flames of rebellion for the sole purpose of stopping the deportation of illegal immigrants who have invaded the country," Miller said.
Volz: This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Get thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has called for an immediate suspension of operations to enforce the immigration policies of the administration of United States President (US) Donald Trump in that state.
"I just spoke to the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Get thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now," wrote Volz on the social media platform X.
Tina Smith, a Democratic senator from Minnesota, called the shooting "catastrophic."
Minneapolis officials have called for calm while the incident is investigated. Footage from the scene shows immigration agents firing tear gas at a growing crowd of onlookers.
"We ask the public to remain calm and avoid the immediate area," the City of Minneapolis said in a statement.
Frey: How many more residents, how many more Americans need to be killed or seriously injured for this operation to be over?
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for an immediate suspension of operations to enforce the Donald Trump administration's immigration policies in the state.
"How many more residents, how many more Americans need to be killed or seriously injured for this operation to end?" Frey said at a news conference, Reuters reported.
The nearby Minneapolis Institute of Arts announced that it was closed for safety reasons.
The shooting came a day after more than 10.000 people took to the streets to protest the presence of 3.000 federal agents, who were dispatched by Trump to Minnesota.
Residents are outraged by several incidents, including the murder of American citizen Renee Goode, the arrest of an American citizen who was taken from his home in his underwear, and the arrest of school children, including a five-year-old boy, according to Reuters.
On Thursday, US Vice President J.D. Vance visited Minneapolis to offer support to immigration officers and urged local leaders and activists to reduce tensions, stating that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carries out an important mission of apprehending those who violate immigration regulations.
Clashes between residents and federal officers are becoming increasingly tense in Minneapolis, Minnesota's most populous city, after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Goode, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, on Jan. 7 as she tried to walk away after being ordered out of her car.
Another incident occurred on Thursday, January 15, when an ICE officer fired a gun and wounded a Venezuelan who allegedly failed to stop his car when ordered to.
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