Federal ICE agent shoots Venezuelan man in leg during arrest attempt in Minneapolis, fueling city unrest.
Incident Details
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, January 14, a federal immigration officer shot a man in the leg during an attempt to arrest him. The incident has caused further tensions in the city, where just a week earlier, an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good.
Government Account
The Department of Homeland Security reported that the incident occurred after ICE agents arrested a Venezuelan man who, according to the department, was in the U.S. illegally. When the man fled, an agent caught up with him and attempted to make an arrest. According to the statement, the suspect began to resist and then attacked the officer along with two other individuals, prompting another man to use his firearm.
“A law enforcement officer caught up with the suspect on foot and attempted to take him into custody, at which point the man began to resist and brutally attacked the officer,” the statement read. It was also reported that during the struggle, two individuals emerged from a nearby building and attacked the officer using a snow shovel and a broom handle. The government’s version has not yet been confirmed by witnesses. The man shot in the leg is in the hospital with injuries not life-threatening.
Protests and Clashes
Following the incident in the city, where protests were already underway, clashes broke out between ICE protection services and demonstrators on Wednesday. According to local television stations, protesters used fireworks and police deployed tear gas. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called on residents to refrain from violence and appealed not to be provoked. City officials called on protesters to go home.
“I urge everyone at the scene to go home,” Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a press conference.
