Minneapolis ICE Shooting: Witnesses Dispute Federal Account, Noem Says Protestor Was Domestic Terrorist

A woman was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, with witness descriptions sharply diverging from the version of events offered by federal officials.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reacted angrily after viewing video of the shooting, calling claims that it was an act of self-defense a “garbage narrative.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also said he had seen the footage, stating, “Don’t believe the propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice.”

According to federal authorities, ICE officers were “conducting targeted operations” when they were confronted by what officials described as “rioters” who blocked their movement. Officials claimed one of the individuals “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”

ICE said an officer, who was “fearing for his life,” fired what were described as “defensive shots” to protect himself and other officers, resulting in the woman’s death. Minneapolis officials later identified the victim as a 37-year-old white woman.

Video circulating on social media shows the moment the woman was fatally shot. After viewing the footage, Mayor Frey reiterated his rejection of the self-defense claim, again labeling it a “garbage narrative.”

President Donald Trump personally weighed in, writing on Truth Social: “I have just viewed the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a horrible thing to watch. The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense. Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital. The situation is being studied, in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis. They are just trying to do the job of MAKING AMERICA SAFE. We need to stand by and protect our Law Enforcement Officers from this Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate!”

Witnesses interviewed by FOX 9 offered a different account of the incident. They said the woman entered a red vehicle near Portland Avenue and East 34th Street on Wednesday morning, where ICE agents surrounded the car.

According to those witnesses, one ICE agent stood on each side of the vehicle while a third approached and pulled on the driver’s side door. Witnesses said one agent then stepped back and opened fire, shooting three times through the driver’s side window. One witness said the vehicle was not moving toward the agents at the time.

Witnesses also said a doctor who happened to be at the scene attempted to render aid to the woman but was prevented from doing so by ICE agents. They said an ambulance arrived roughly 15 minutes later but was initially unable to reach the victim because ICE vehicles were blocking the street.

Those at the scene told Fox that ICE agents later carried a “limp body” down the street, where the woman was placed into the ambulance.

The shooting occurred amid what the Department of Homeland Security has described as the “largest ever” ICE operation currently underway in Minnesota.

“We collectively are going to do everything possible to get to the bottom of this, to get justice and to make sure that there is an investigation conducted in full. But what we do know is that a 37-year-old woman is dead, and she was shot by ICE,” Frey said Wednesday. “We’ve dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis… They are not here to create safety in this city, what they are doing is causing chaos and distrust.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said that the incident amounted to domestic terrorism. “These vehicle rammings are domestic acts of terrorism. We are working with the DOJ to prosecute them as such.”

In a full statement, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the officers’ actions and blamed political rhetoric for escalating tensions.

“Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them – an act of domestic terrorism.

“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.

“He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers.

“The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. Thankfully, the ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.

“This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement who are facing 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats.

“This is an evolving situation, and we will give the public more information as soon as it becomes available.”