MINNEAPOLIS, USA: Federal agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Saturday, local and federal officials said, the second fatal shooting involving federal agents this month during a surge in immigration enforcement in the northern US city.
The US Department of Homeland Security said Border Patrol agents fired in defense at a man who approached them with a handgun and two magazines.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the man was a 37-year-old city resident who was believed to be a US citizen. He did not release the name of the man, who he said was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record.
A video circulating on social media and aired on cable news stations showed people wearing masks and tactical vests wrestling with a man on a snow-covered street before shots are heard. In the video, the man falls to the ground, and several more shots are heard.
Later, video from the area showed immigration agents deploying tear gas on a growing crowd of onlookers.
MAYOR, GOVERNOR CALL FOR OPERATION TO END
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for an immediate end to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in the state.
“How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” Frey said at a news conference.
The state’s governor and two US senators also called for federal agents to leave.
Trump has been briefed on the shooting, a White House official told Reuters.
O’Hara said there was a “volatile scene” at the site of the shooting and asked people to avoid the area.
“Please do not destroy our city,” he said.
The nearby Minneapolis Institute of Art said it had closed for the day due to safety concerns.
The shooting came one day after more than 10,000 people took to the frigid streets to protest the presence of the 3,000 federal agents who have been ordered to the state by Trump.
Residents have been angered by several incidents, including the killing of US citizen Renee Good, the detention of a US citizen who was taken from his home in his underwear, and the detention of school children, including a 5-year-old boy.
On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis to show support for immigration officers and to ask local leaders and activists to reduce tensions, saying US Immigration and Customs Enforcement was carrying out an important mission to detain immigration violators.
