MS anchor Ali Velshi shocked by tear gas and clashes in Minneapolis following fatal shooting

Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: MS NOW's host Ali Velshi expressed shock on Saturday, January 24, as scenes unfolded in Minneapolis following a federal shooting, saying the chaos was not what anyone expected to see in an American city in 2026.

Velshi described a tense and volatile environment after federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a person earlier in the day.

Minneapolis chaos leaves Ali Velshi stunned

As protesters gathered near the site of the shooting, thick white clouds of tear gas spread through the streets, and officers confronted crowds with crowd control measures.

During the MS NOW segment, an elderly citizen, visibly upset at the shooting, appeared on screen asking agents to leave Minnesota. When asked, the citizen said that he was 70 years old and very angry.

The man screamed and then vanished in the thick white clouds of tear gas soon after.

Ali Velshi expressed shock at the footage.

“Wow, what a scene in an American city in 2026 in Minneapolis,” Velshi said before announcing that the person shot by federal agents had died.

“I’ll show you the video, unfortunately, of this in a few moments,” Velshi said, warning that what he was about to show was unsettling.

“Now this is all hard to watch. This is unbelievable that this is an American city in 2026… this is federal agents versus the residents of that city. I’m going to show you this video, and I normally say, don’t look away because you can’t look at way at moments like this. I have to tell you, this is really graphic,” he stated.

Clashes with protesters continue

In a separate but related incident at the same Minneapolis demonstration, another powerful moment was captured live on television when a protester repeatedly begged ICE agents not to harm him as dozens of officers moved in.

As Velshi described the scene on MS NOW, the camera captured dozens of masked ICE agents sprinting toward a scuffle among protesters.

“They’re all masked, they’re moving at some pace toward that crowd,” Velshi said as the situation escalated, with people in the streets running to avoid confrontation.

Amid the chaos, one man could be heard yelling as agents attempted to subdue him, his voice rising above the noise of the crowd and the ongoing police response.

“You’re gonna have to kill me! You’re gonna have to kill me!” he screamed as multiple ICE agents pinned him to the ground.

“I have done nothing at all!” the man continued, his voice cracking with fear and desperation.

Minneapolis on the edge

Despite the brutal cold where hundreds of protesters had gathered, anger remained high with demonstrators pushing back against federal tactics and the use of chemical agents in response to the crowd.

Officials confirmed that the shooting earlier in the day involved a man armed with a handgun, recovered by federal agents, and that authorities were investigating the circumstances around the fatal encounter.

Border Patrol Union has blamed the latest shooting on hate rhetoric against federal agents. Gov Walz has condemned the shooting and spoken to the White House regarding the same.