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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said a federal officer shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis on Wednesday after being attacked while trying to make an arrest.
In a statement posted on X, DHS said federal law enforcement officers stopped a man from Venezuela who was in the U.S. illegally at around 6:50 p.m. CT. He drove away and crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.
After officers reached the man, two other people arrived from a nearby apartment and "attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle," DHS said.
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"Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life. The initial subject was hit in the leg," it said.
Newsweek has contacted the DHS and Minneapolis Police Department for comment.
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Why It Matters
The shooting has further heightened fear and anger in Minneapolis a week after an immigration agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in the city, sparking nationwide protests and a wave of resignations by federal prosecutors.
The recent tumult in Minnesota has intensified debates over federal immigration enforcement tactics, local governance and community-government relations.
What To Know
Both the man who was shot and the officer are in hospital and the two people who came out of the apartment are in custody, DHS said.
The city of Minneapolis said on X that a federal immigration enforcement agent shot the man in the 600 block of 24th Avenue North. He is in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the post.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference that the police department received a call reporting a shooting in the 600 block of 24th Avenue North at around 6:50 p.m.
He said preliminary information indicates "a struggle with a federal agent" and that during the struggle, the agent fired his weapon and struck a man.
"The adult male then retreated inside of the residence, where he remained inside and refused to come out," O’Hara said. "Eventually, federal agents made entry into the residence and the individual was brought to an ambulance where he has been transported to the hospital."
After the shooting, federal officers in gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd while protesters threw rocks and shot fireworks near the site of the incident, The Associated Press reported. O’Hara said during the news conference that the gathering was an unlawful assembly and urged people to leave the area.
"This is already a very tense situation and we do not need this to escalate any further," he said.
Fewer demonstrators and law enforcement officers were there early Thursday, the AP said.
What People Are Saying
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference: "I have faith that the investigators that are involved will follow every lead in this case and ensure it is it is completed to its logical conclusion."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said during the news conference: "There's still a lot that we don't know at this time, but what I can tell you for certain is that this is not sustainable.
"This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order."
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wrote on X: "State investigators have been on the scene in North Minneapolis. I know you’re angry. I’m angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets. But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants."
The Department of Homeland Security said on X: "This attack on another brave member of law enforcement took place while Minnesota’s top leaders, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, are actively encouraging an organized resistance to ICE and federal law enforcement officers. Their hateful rhetoric and resistance against men and women who are simply trying to do their jobs must end. Federal law enforcement officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest criminals and lawbreakers."
What Happens Next
An investigation into the shooting by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is underway, O'Hara said.
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