Tim Walz, Sens Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith condemn ICE after latest fatal Minneapolis shooting

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, on Saturday, January 24, condemned the presence of federal immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis after a man was shot and killed during an operation involving federal agents.

“I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning,” Walz wrote in a post on X. “Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The president must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”

The fatal shooting occurred in south Minneapolis and prompted a rapid law enforcement response as crowds gathered near the scene. 

State and local officials said that they were working to secure the area and determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. The shooting came amid weeks of protests and heightened tensions following the death of Renee Nicole Good on January 7.

Officials demand answers as investigation begins

The man killed in Saturday’s shooting was 51 years old, according to a hospital record obtained by The Associated Press. He has not yet been publicly identified. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that the man was shot several times in the chest and later died from his injuries.

City officials confirmed the shooting occurred near West 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue South and urged the public to avoid the area. “We are working to confirm additional details,” city officials said in a post on the social platform X. “We ask the public to remain calm and avoid the immediate area.”

Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar also issued statements in the aftermath of the shooting. Smith said, “Another catastrophic shooting in Minneapolis by federal agents. We are gathering more information, but ICE must leave now so MPD can secure the scene and do their jobs.”

Klobuchar said that she was seeking additional details and criticized federal leadership, stating, "There has been another shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis and I am working to get more information."

"I will update as soon as possible. To the Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress who have stood silent: Get ICE out of our state NOW," she added.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office was coordinating with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

“The scene must be secured by local law enforcement for the collection and preservation of evidence. We expect the federal government to allow the BCA to process the scene,” Moriarty said.

Crowds gather as DHS outlines account of shooting

As news of the shooting spread, crowds gathered near the scene, prompting the Minnesota State Patrol to declare an unlawful assembly.

WCCO reporters on the ground confirmed that chemical irritants were deployed as tensions escalated. Some demonstrators carried protest signs, while at least one person displayed an American flag hung upside down, a signal commonly associated with distress.

The Department of Homeland Security said federal officers were conducting a targeted operation related to an individual wanted for violent assault when the incident occurred.

According to a DHS spokesperson, someone approached the agents carrying a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.

After attempts to disarm the individual, the spokesperson said the person “violently resisted.” “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots,” the spokesperson said.

Medical aid was provided, but the individual was pronounced dead at the scene. DHS said the individual had two magazines and no identification.

The spokesperson also said that after the shooting, approximately 200 people arrived and obstructed law enforcement, leading officers to use crowd control measures.

The shooting marks the third reported incident in Minneapolis involving federal immigration enforcement during the current crackdown.