Federal agents have fatally shot another person in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz said on Saturday, sharply criticising the Trump administration’s expanding immigration enforcement operations in the state. The killing marks the second deadly encounter involving federal officers in the city within the span of a few weeks, further intensifying scrutiny and public anger over the ongoing crackdown.
Walz, a Democrat, said he spoke directly with the White House following the incident and demanded an immediate halt to the federal operation. In a strongly worded post on X, he described the situation as “sickening” and urged the president to withdraw federal officers from Minnesota, accusing them of being violent and insufficiently trained.
Details of the latest shooting were not immediately disclosed, but it occurred against the backdrop of near-daily protests in the Twin Cities that erupted after the January 7 killing of Renee Good. Good, a 37-year-old woman, was fatally shot when an officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement fired into her vehicle during a separate federal enforcement action, an incident that has continued to fuel outrage and demonstrations.
Minneapolis police later confirmed that the man killed in the most recent incident was a 37-year-old city resident and a US citizen. The city’s police chief said investigators believe the victim was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit to carry and noted that multiple federal officers were involved in the shooting. He added that local police have been in contact with the Department of Homeland Security, but that federal authorities have so far declined to provide a detailed account of how the encounter escalated.
The Department of Homeland Security, however, said the man was carrying a handgun and two magazines at the time of the incident and released a photograph of the firearm it said was recovered at the scene. Federal officials maintained that their officers acted in response to a perceived threat, though questions remain about the sequence of events.
Video footage widely circulated on social media and broadcast on cable news networks appeared to show masked individuals wearing tactical gear grappling with a man on a snow-covered street. Moments later, gunshots are heard in the footage, after which the man collapses, followed by additional shots that further inflamed public reaction.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, an angry crowd gathered at the scene, shouting profanities at federal officers and calling them “cowards” while demanding that they leave the area. Some videos showed one officer appearing to mock protesters as he walked away, while other recordings captured agents forcefully pushing a protester into a vehicle, heightening tensions.
Democratic US Senator Tina Smith condemned the killing, describing it as “catastrophic” and adding to the chorus of Democratic leaders questioning the conduct and oversight of federal immigration operations in the state.
City officials said the incident remains under investigation and urged residents to remain calm and avoid the area. Footage from the scene showed immigration agents deploying tear gas as the crowd of onlookers grew. In an official statement posted online, the City of Minneapolis asked the public to stay away from the immediate vicinity while authorities worked to restore order.
The shooting came just a day after thousands of demonstrators filled Minneapolis streets in bitterly cold weather to protest the federal immigration crackdown. Chanting slogans and demanding that law enforcement agencies leave Minnesota, protesters said the repeated use of lethal force has only deepened fear, anger, and mistrust, further inflaming an already volatile situation.
