Updated January 7, 2026 at 4:50 PM CST
Federal and local officials dispute the circumstances that led an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer to fatally shoot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
The shooting occurred on a residential street in south Minneapolis — less than a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020. ICE agents were conducting targeted immigration enforcement operations at the time, according to Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
NPR has reviewed multiple videos of the shooting taken from different vantage points and posted to social media. The footage shows multiple officers near an SUV stopped in the middle of the road. One officer demands the driver exit the vehicle and grabs the car handle. The SUV reverses, then begins to drive forward, which is when a different officer near the front of the car pulls his weapon and fires into the vehicle. Three gunshots are heard, as the firing officer backs away from the SUV. Moments later, the vehicle crashes.
The incident has further inflamed tensions between the Trump administration and Minneapolis, which has been the target of a large-scale immigration crackdown. Local officials said they expect protests to follow and urged residents to remain peaceful.
At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he was prepared to mobilize the state National Guard if necessary.
"They want a show. We can't give it to them," he said. "We can't give them what they want."
Federal and local officials clash over the shooting
In a statement, DHS spokesperson McLaughlin asserted that the motorist "weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them." She added that the ICE officer who pulled the trigger was "fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public."
Upon reviewing a video of the incident, President Trump said he also believes the shooting was an act of self-defense.
"The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
But local leaders have raised concerns about the Trump administration's account of the shooting.
At a fiery press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey accused ICE of "trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody that is bull***. "
"This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed," he added.
The mayor called on ICE agents to leave the city, asserting that federal immigration authorities were ripping families apart and sowing chaos on Minneapolis streets.
Gov. Walz wrote on X that he has seen video of the shooting and told the public: "Don't believe this propaganda machine."
"The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice," he added.
Minneapolis police chief says he's 'very concerned' about use of deadly force
At a press conference, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said local police arrived at the scene to find a woman with a gunshot wound to the head. They performed life-saving measures at the scene, including CPR. The woman was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, he added.
Preliminary information, according to O'Hara, indicated that the woman was in her vehicle and blocking the road on Portland Avenue between 33rd and 34th St.
"At some point, a federal law enforcement approached her on foot, and the vehicle began to drive off. At least two shots were fired," he said, adding that the car then crashed on the side of the roadway.
O'Hara said he was "very concerned" with the tactics used by federal immigration agents. He noted that the use of deadly force is justified at times, but that most law enforcement agencies in the U.S. are trained to minimize the risks and the need for deadly force.
"In any professional law enforcement agency in the country, I think they would tell you it's obviously very concerning whenever there's a shooting into a vehicle of someone who's not armed," he said.
The shooting is being investigated by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. They will investigate the use of deadly force.
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