'This Is Not Sustainable': Federal Officer Shoots Man, Prompting Renewed Outcry

MINNEAPOLIS — A federal law enforcement officer shot a man in the leg Wednesday night in Minneapolis in what officials say was self-defense, marking the city's second shooting involving a federal officer in about a week and sparking renewed public unrest that led authorities to declare an unlawful assembly.

“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," Mayor Jacob Frey said during a news conference Wednesday night that was livestreamed by the city on YouTube. "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.”

Wednesday's shooting comes after Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer while behind the wheel of a vehicle on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis. Frey on Wednesday accused federal authorities of "creating chaos" and behaving in ways that were "disgusting" and "intolerable." He also noted ICE officers in the area currently outnumber Minneapolis police five-to-one, with about 600 city police and roughly 3,000 ICE agents across the metro.

The incident that led to Wednesday's shooting began on Interstate 94, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, who also spoke at the news conference.

Federal officers conducted a targeted traffic stop around 6:50 p.m. of a person they described as "an illegal alien from Venezuela" who entered the country in 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a social media post, adding the person fled in his vehicle, hit a parked car, and then fled on foot.

An officer caught up to the man and tried to apprehend him, but the man "began to resist and violently assault the officer," according to the department, which said two people exited a nearby apartment and "attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle."

"As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by the two individuals, the original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick," the department said. "Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life."

All three people ran into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside, according to the department, which said the officer and the person he was pursuing were both eventually taken to the hospital, and that the other two people involved in the incident were taken into custody.

O'Hara's explanation of the events also referenced a struggle with federal law enforcement, a broom and snow shovel at the scene, and at least one person possibly assaulting a federal authority. He said Minneapolis police received a 911 call about the shooting in the 600 block of 24th Avenue North and that the man who was shot retreated into the home and refused to come out, leading federal agents to enter. The man's injury was not life-threatening, according to O'Hara.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI were processing evidence at the scene Wednesday night, O'Hara said.

Smoke filled the street near the site of the shooting as federal officers and protesters squared off. A group of officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas and grenades into a small crowd while protesters threw snowballs and chanted, “Our streets.”

Demonstrators threw fireworks, ice and rocks, according to O'Hara, who said that the gathering "has absolutely become an unlawful assembly" and that the Minnesota State Patrol and Hennepin County Sheriff's Office were assisting in the response.

“And for anyone that is taking the bait tonight — stop," Frey said. "That is not helpful. Go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump's chaos with our own brand of chaos. ... For those that are taking the bait, you are not helping, and you are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city.”

Tense scenes have become common on the streets of Minneapolis since Good was killed last week. Agents have yanked people from cars and homes and been confronted by angry bystanders who are demanding that officers pack up and leave.

Gov. Tim Walz echoed Frey's sentiments Wednesday night in a post on social media.

"I know you’re angry. I’m angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets," the governor wrote. "But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.