An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown in a major U.S. city.
Watch Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference in the video player above.
The woman was shot during a traffic stop in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets and about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020. Her killing quickly drew a crowd of hundreds of angry protesters.
READ MORE: What we know so far about the ICE shooting in Minneapolis
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a news conference in Minneapolis Wednesday evening that any death is a “tragedy,” but that the ICE shooting was justified.
“Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he’s been taught to do in that situation,” Noem said.
Noem alleged that the woman who was killed was trying to block officers with her vehicle, had been harassing them through the day and “attempted to run a law enforcement officer over” before she was shot.
“We’ll let the FBI continue the investigation to get it resolved,” she said, adding that the officer was hit by the vehicle, taken to a hospital and released.
Noem added that immigration enforcement has made over 1,500 arrests in Minnesota in recent weeks.
Earlier Wednesday while visiting Texas, Noem described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers.
But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blasted that characterization as “garbage” and criticized the federal deployment of more than 2,000 officers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the immigration crackdown.
“They are not here to cause safety in this city. What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust,” Frey said.
Minneapolis Police chief gives no indication that the driver was trying to harm anyone
Chief Brian O’Hara briefly described the shooting to reporters. Unlike federal officials, O’Hara didn’t say the driver was trying to harm anyone. He said she had been shot in the head.
“This woman was in her vehicle and was blocking the roadway on Portland Avenue. … At some point a federal law enforcement officer approached her on foot and the vehicle began to drive off,” the chief said.
“At least two shots were fired. The vehicle then crashed on the side of the roadway.”
Minnesota official says state will investigate the shooting with federal authorities
That’s according to Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
“Keep in mind that this is an investigation that is also in its infancy. So any speculation about what has happened would be just that,” Jacobson told reporters.
The shooting happened in the district of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who called it “state violence,” not law enforcement.
City says 37-year-old shooting victim died at hospital
In a statement, the city of Minneapolis says police officers “responded to the reports of shots fired and found a woman with life-threatening gunshot wounds to the head.
“Minneapolis firefighters then removed the 37-year-old victim from the vehicle and immediately began lifesaving measures until paramedics could respond. She was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she later died.”
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