A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed an armed man during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on Saturday (January 24), according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The incident took place near East 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue South, where federal officers were conducting a targeted operation against a person wanted for violent assault who was reportedly in the country illegally. DHS said the man approached officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and two magazines, and “violently resisted” when they tried to disarm him. An agent fired in self-defense, and medics at the scene pronounced the man dead.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed the man was a 37-year-old local resident and believed to be a U.S. citizen with a legal permit to carry a gun. He noted that more than one officer may have fired their weapons, and that police had seen video footage of the incident but lacked official details about what led up to the shooting. Chief O’Hara called for calm, saying, “We ask everyone to remain calm and to please do not destroy our own city.”
Protests erupted at the scene shortly after the shooting, with crowds blocking streets and law enforcement deploying chemical irritants and other crowd-control measures. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sharply criticized federal agents, stating at a press conference that videos show “more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death.” He called on President Donald Trump to end the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, saying, “How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?”
This marks the third shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis this month, following the deaths of Renee Good earlier in January and another non-fatal shooting involving a Venezuelan immigrant. Tensions have been high in the city as thousands of federal agents were deployed under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, fueling daily protests and community outrage.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other local leaders have demanded that the federal government pull agents out of Minneapolis and allow local authorities to lead investigations. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office is working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to ensure evidence is collected and preserved properly.
The DHS maintains that its agents acted in self-defense, stating, “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.” State and local officials continue to press for a full independent investigation and for the end of large-scale federal immigration enforcement operations in the city. The situation remains tense as crowds continue to gather and law enforcement monitors the area for further unrest.
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