Another person shot and killed by federal agents
Washington: Less than three weeks after American citizen Renee Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, another person was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, USA, sparking a national outcry.
Video published by local media shows federal agents wrestling a man to the ground on a Minneapolis street, before multiple gunshots are heard and the man stops moving. The images had no context.
It was not immediately clear who the man was or the circumstances that led to his encounter with federal agents.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the man was dead and said he was carrying a 9mm semi-automatic handgun when he approached officers.
“Officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details regarding the gunfight will be forthcoming,” said DHS deputy secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“Fearing that his life and safety would be endangered and that of other police officers, an agent opened fire in defense. Paramedics at the scene immediately provided medical aid to the suspect, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The man approached Border Patrol officers while they were conducting a targeted operation against an illegal immigrant wanted for violent assault, McLaughlin said. He said the man was carrying two magazines full of ammunition and had no identification.
But he did not say who the man was, whether the target was an associate, a protester or an American citizen.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he spoke with the White House following “yet another horrific attack by federal agents this morning.”
“That’s what happened in Minnesota. It’s sickening. The president must end this operation. He must remove thousands of violent, untrained officers from Minnesota. Now,” Walz told X.
The City of Minneapolis said it was aware of a shooting involving federal law enforcement near 26th Street W and Nicollet Avenue south of the CBD and asked the public to avoid the area.
After the shooting, protesters and federal agents continued to clash on the city’s icy streets. Live footage broadcast on US television shows police officers repeatedly firing tear gas at demonstrators.
Tensions have been high since ICE launched a major enforcement operation in Minneapolis weeks ago, and were exacerbated by Good’s Jan. 7 killing.
In that case, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said several hours after the shooting that Good had participated in “domestic terrorism” and that the ICE agent shot him in self-defense, despite footage that casts that narrative into doubt.
Officials will hold a press conference in an hour.
More to come
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political correspondent in Canberra.Connect with: excitement or email.
