A US immigration agent has fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, triggering widespread outrage and a sharp dispute between federal authorities and local officials over the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The shooting occurred at about 10:25 a.m. on Wednesday on Portland Avenue, during an operation involving officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the woman as Renee Nicole Good and claimed she posed a threat to federal agents.
In a statement, DHS said Good was a “violent rioter” who attempted to run over ICE officers with her vehicle, describing the incident as an act of self-defence by the agent involved.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleged that the woman had been “stalking and impeding” officers throughout the day and tried to “weaponise her vehicle,” calling the act “domestic terrorism.”
However, Minneapolis city officials strongly rejected that account.
Mayor Jacob Frey, speaking angrily at a press briefing, accused the federal agent of recklessly abusing power.
“This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying,” Frey said, telling ICE officials to leave the city.
The Minneapolis City Council also disputed the federal narrative, saying Good was “caring for her neighbours” at the time she was shot.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show ICE agents approaching a maroon SUV blocking a residential street amid a tense standoff with protesters.
Footage reviewed by media outlets shows agents ordering the driver to exit the vehicle, with one agent tugging at the door handle.
As the SUV began to move, an agent standing near the front of the vehicle opened fire.
Three gunshots are heard in the videos, after which the vehicle veered off and crashed into a parked car. It remains unclear from the footage whether the agent was struck by the vehicle before firing.
Former President Donald Trump, posting on Truth Social, claimed an ICE officer had been “viciously” run over and was recovering in hospital.
He blamed the incident on what he described as the “Radical Left” and accused critics of routinely targeting law enforcement officers.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that the woman was in her vehicle blocking the roadway when she was approached by a federal officer on foot and attempted to drive away.
The federal agent involved was injured and later discharged from hospital, according to DHS.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz rejected the federal government’s version of events, urging the public not to believe what he called “propaganda.”
He said the state would ensure a “full, fair and expeditious investigation” into the shooting. The FBI has been tasked with leading the investigation.
The killing has prompted protests and vigils across Minneapolis, with demonstrators demanding that ICE leave the city.
The shooting occurred about a mile from where George Floyd was murdered in 2020, a case that sparked global protests against police brutality.
Minneapolis Public Schools announced the cancellation of classes for the rest of the week, citing safety concerns, after reports that federal agents had made arrests near a high school.
The incident comes amid a heavy federal immigration enforcement presence in Minneapolis.
The Trump administration recently deployed more than 2,000 additional federal agents to the area as part of a wider crackdown linked to alleged welfare fraud and immigration violations.
ICE operations are expected to continue, despite mounting opposition from city and state leaders and growing national scrutiny of the shooting.
