Officials and witnesses offered sharply conflicting accounts as protests grew near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a driver Wednesday morning during a federal enforcement operation in south Minneapolis, authorities said, setting off fast-growing crowds, chemical irritants in the streets and urgent calls by city leaders for federal officers to leave.
Federal officials said the agent fired because the motorist used a vehicle as a weapon against officers. Local leaders and witnesses questioned that account and condemned the operation’s tactics. The shooting happened amid a large Department of Homeland Security surge focused on alleged immigration fraud cases. By late afternoon, city and state officials said independent investigators would review the use of force while federal authorities continued arrests tied to the broader operation. The death escalated tensions in a neighborhood still marked by the 2020 killing of George Floyd and raised immediate questions about command decisions, training and coordination among agencies on the ground.
The shooting occurred late Wednesday morning near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue, a residential stretch lined with older homes and small businesses. Video shared with local outlets showed multiple federal vehicles blocking parts of the intersection before gunfire. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the driver “weaponized” the vehicle and that the agent fired in self-defense to protect officers and bystanders. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey disputed that framing in remarks at City Hall, calling the killing “reckless” and saying the federal presence created a volatile scene. As word spread, dozens of residents and activists converged on the area. Lines of agents in tactical gear faced the crowd. Witnesses described pepper spray and other chemical irritants used to disperse people, and some residents covered their faces with scarves while moving children indoors. “It was chaos — sirens, shouting, then shots,” said neighbor Lila Navarro, who lives a block off Portland and said she heard four sharp cracks before officers rushed a dark SUV.
Authorities did not immediately release the woman’s name or age. DHS said officers were conducting “targeted operations” when a group interfered and a vehicle struck or attempted to strike agents, prompting the shooting. Local television aired images of a bullet-pocked windshield and a cluster of shell markers on the pavement. Some in the crowd said the woman was trying to leave the area when agents surrounded her car. Several elected officials, including members of the Minneapolis City Council, arrived and urged calm. Gov. Tim Walz said state public safety officials were working to establish the sequence of events and that more information would be released when confirmed. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar criticized the operation, saying federal tactics had put residents at risk. The extent of any injuries to officers remained unclear by evening. City officials said paramedics performed CPR at the scene before the woman was pronounced dead.
The scene unfolded as DHS deployed what officials have described as one of its largest recent enforcement surges, focusing on alleged document and benefits fraud tied to immigration cases. Federal leaders have said the push involves hundreds of arrests statewide and coordination with multiple agencies. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said city officers were not leading the operation but responded to maintain safety and close streets, and that they would support post-incident inquiries. The location — roughly a mile and a half from where Floyd was killed — added a layer of community trauma. Residents noted that federal raids in December drew protests after confrontations near the same corridor. Records show that prior immigration sweeps in the Twin Cities have prompted legal challenges and questions about oversight, particularly when out-of-state agents operate in dense residential areas with limited notice to local authorities.
Under Minnesota practice, shootings by officers are typically reviewed by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, often alongside federal partners when federal agents are involved. City officials said they expect the BCA and the FBI to examine evidence, including body-camera footage if worn, dashboard videos and bystander recordings. DHS did not say whether the ICE team had body-worn cameras activated. Investigators are expected to map bullet trajectories, review radio traffic and interview agents, police and civilians who witnessed the encounter. Hennepin County’s medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death and confirm the woman’s identity. Any potential criminal charging decision related to the agent’s actions would likely fall to federal prosecutors, while civil litigation — such as a wrongful-death claim — could move in state or federal court once facts are clearer.
As the day went on, calls for accountability mounted. Frey said he was “demanding that ICE leave the city immediately.” State legislators representing south Minneapolis asked DHS to pause operations until a full, independent review is complete. U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum urged DHS leadership to stand down the surge and cooperate with investigators. McLaughlin, the DHS spokesperson, said agents would continue lawful operations and that obstructing arrests placed officers and residents in danger. In the crowd, residents traded updates on group texts and listened as clergy and neighborhood organizers urged people to keep distance from the taped-off block. “We’re grieving and we’re scared,” said Abdirahman Ali, who runs a corner market two blocks away and said his customers were calling family to stay home. A man who gave his name only as Marcus said he watched agents bang on car windows and heard a woman shout, “I’m leaving,” before shots rang out. His account could not be independently verified Wednesday.
Minneapolis police declared the area an active crime scene and rerouted traffic around the intersection. City buses detoured off Portland as public works crews set barricades. Parents lined up at a nearby school texted children to remain inside as principals initiated a soft lockdown. Fire crews staged a block away in case of additional chemical exposure reports. Meanwhile, activists circulated mutual aid sign-up sheets and said legal observers were documenting arrests tied to the broader operation. By dusk, a small memorial of candles and flowers had begun to form near the curb where the SUV came to rest. A church group led a brief prayer as squad lights flashed blue and white in the cold.
Officials offered few details about the underlying case connected to the block where the shooting happened. Federal briefings in recent days have highlighted alleged fraud schemes, but DHS did not specify whether the woman who was shot was a target, a bystander or someone uninvolved who drove into the scene. The agency did not say how many shots were fired, the distance between the agent and the vehicle or whether verbal commands were recorded before the gunfire. City leaders said those specifics would be central to the review, along with whether agents followed rules on use of force and vehicle containment. The review will also examine which agency had incident command authority on the block and how information flowed to Minneapolis 911 and to residents living within the perimeter.
Late Wednesday, authorities said investigators were collecting surveillance video from nearby homes and businesses and canvassing for witnesses along 33rd and 34th streets. The medical examiner’s office said it would release the woman’s identity after family notification. Federal officials did not say when they would release the agent’s name. Community groups planned a vigil at the site Thursday evening and a separate march downtown the next day. City Hall said it would update the public once state investigators complete initial interviews and confirm the sequence of events. For now, the residential block where it happened remains taped off, with evidence markers dotting the pavement and a dark SUV still parked behind a line of federal trucks.
Author note: Last updated January 7, 2026.