Venezuelan Man Shot by ICE Agent in Minneapolis, Causing ‘Unlawful’ Protests

A man from Venezuela was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in North Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Jan. 14. 

At 6:50 p.m. local time, ICE was conducting a targeted traffic stop of the man, whose identity has not been revealed. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that the man is an “illegal alien” who came to the U.S. in 2022 during Joe Biden’s administration.

The man allegedly attempted “to evade arrest,” and fled the scene in his vehicle, crashing into a parked car before taking off on foot, DHS said. 

Authorities reached the man, and “attempted to apprehend him when the subject began to resist and violently assault the officer,” per the DHS. “While the subject and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.”

As the two people allegedly “attacked” and “ambushed” the officer, the first man got loose and struck the officer with a shovel or broomstick, per the government agency.

The DHS said the officer was “fearing for his life and safety,” and then fired “a defensive shot to defend his life.”

The Venezuelan man was struck in the leg.

He and the other two people went back into the apartment, where they barricaded themselves, the DHS continued in its statement. Authorities entered the residence, and the man was placed in an ambulance and transported to the hospital.

The officer and the man are both in the hospital; an update on their conditions has not been shared. The remaining two people are in custody.

After the shooting, the City of Minneapolis issued a statement to X, saying, “We understand there is anger. We ask the public to remain calm.”

In a follow-up post, the city addressed ICE directly: “The City of Minneapolis again demands that ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand by our immigrant and refugee communities – know that you have our full support.”

Protesters gathered in the neighborhood and have been throwing fireworks, ice, and rocks at law enforcement, and “engaging in unlawful acts,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a press conference alongside Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Due to the protests, Minnesota State Patrol, Hennepin County officials and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have responded to the scene, and “gas has been deployed,” O’Hara said. 

“Police are attempting to disperse this unlawful assembly at this time,” O’Hara said. “I urge anyone that is at the scene to leave immediately. This is already a very tense situation. We do not need this to escalate any further.”

Frey also urged protesters to conduct peaceful protests: “For anyone that is taking the bait tonight, stop that is not helpful, go home.”

“We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos, and I have seen thousands of people throughout our city peacefully protesting. For those that have peacefully protested, I applaud you,” Frey continued. “For those that are taking the bait. You are not helping, and you are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city; you are not helping the people that call this place home.”

The mayor also said Minneapolis is in an “impossible situation.”

“We are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order. And we’re in a position right now where we have residents that are asking the very limited number of police officers that we have to fight ICE agents on the street to stand by their neighbors,” he said.

“We cannot be at a place right now in America where we have two governmental entities that are literally fighting one another.” Frey said the city has filed litigation to end ICE’s “massive deployment,” he added, he’s “deeply concerned” that the city officials “don’t have that kind of time.”

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“This is already the second shooting that we’ve had in a week. People are scared. The atmosphere is tense,” Frey said in reference to the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Jonathan Ross, on Jan. 7.

Good, 37, was shot after she was driving back home from school drop-off with her wife, Becca, when they came upon a group of ICE agents, the Associated Press reported. Shots were then fired, and Good’s vehicle continued moving up the street, away from the agents, before it crashed into a parked car.