A second person has been shot in a confrontation with ICE agents in Minneapolis amid a chaotic night of protests in the Minnesota city Wednesday, one week on from the killing of Renee Nicole Good.
This time, a man the Department of Homeland Security has said is an undocumented migrant from Venezuela was hit in the leg after allegedly attempting to flee a traffic stop.
The DHS defended the federal immigration officer responsible by saying he opened fire while “fearing for his life and safety.”
It claimed he had been attacked with “a snow shovel and broom handle” by two people who came to the aid of the man.
Flashbang grenades and tear gas were used to disperse protesters at the scene. The injured man is reportedly in a stable condition in hospital, the agent also received medical treatment, and his alleged assailants were arrested.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has again slammed ICE for “creating chaos” in his city.
“For anyone who is taking the bait tonight: stop,” he said.
“It is not helpful. Go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own chaos. You are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city.”
Key Points
- Federal agent shoots Venezuelan immigrant in leg during Minneapolis arrest attempt
- DHS defends ICE officer and says he was attacked
- Mayor calls out 'Trump's chaos' and warns protesters against 'taking the bait'
- Tim Walz accuses government of ‘organized brutality’
- President rages against alleged fraud in Minneapolis
Tim Walz accuses government of ‘organized brutality’
10:30 , Joe SommerladThis is what Minnesota’s governor, the Democratic Party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee, had to say about events in Minneapolis last night.
“This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” Walz said. “Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz: "What's happening in Minnesota right now defies belief. News reports simply don't do justice to the level of chaos and disruption and trauma the federal government is raining down upon our communities. They're pulling over people indiscriminately,… pic.twitter.com/wo7X9kKl5g
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2026
In pictures: Anti-ICE protests erupt in Minneapolis
10:15 , Joe Sommerlad
Mayor calls out ‘Trump’s chaos’ and warns protesters against ‘taking the bait’
10:00 , Joe SommerladMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has again slammed ICE for “creating chaos” in his city but also warned citizens against “taking the bait.”
“For anyone who is taking the bait tonight: stop,” he said at a press conference last night.
“It is not helpful. Go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own chaos. You are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city, you are not helping the people who call this place home.”
He pointedly called the situation “unsustainable” and again renewed his call for ICE to withdraw.
Jacob Frey: "This is not sustainable. 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. We're in a position right now where we have… pic.twitter.com/TzP602FO3V
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2026
Frey: "I've seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and intolerable. If it were your city, it would unacceptable there too ... ICE can leave and this massive deployment can come to an end. We have filed litigation to hopefully make it so, and at the same time I'm deeply… pic.twitter.com/07VbGarYr8
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2026
Here’s the latest from Mayor Frey on X:
There’s 600 MPD officers working to keep our streets safe. Meanwhile, they’ve sent in 3,000 federal agents.
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) January 15, 2026
America, this is not the path we can be on.
Thank you to our MPD officers who have secured the scene and continue to work to keep neighbors safe while the investigation takes place.
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) January 15, 2026
DHS defends ICE officer and says he was attacked
09:45 , Joe SommerladThe Department of Homeland Security has said its agents were conducting a traffic stop involving “an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022” when last night’s events played out.
“In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car,” it said.
“The subject then fled on foot.”
The department then claims that, after the agent caught up with the man, he “began to resist and violently assault the officer.”
Two other people then came out of a nearby apartment and “also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.”
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” the DHS says.
“The initial subject was hit in the leg,” before the trio barricaded themselves in the apartment, only to be subsequently detained.
At 6:50 PM CT, federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 15, 2026
In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed…
Watch: Protests erupt after federal agent shoots Venezuelan man in Minneapolis
09:30 , Joe SommerladHere’s the video of the latest clash in the Minnesota city last night.
Viewer discretion is advised as the footage includes graphic imagery.
Federal agent shoots Venezuelan immigrant in leg during Minneapolis arrest attempt
09:15 , Joe SommerladA second shooting involving a federal agent has taken place in Minneapolis, after authorities say a Venezuelan immigrant tried to flee a targeted traffic stop.
The man was shot in the leg during a struggle with the agent and two other people, according to the Department of Homeland Security, who said the officer fired the weapon after “fearing for his life and safety.”
The agent was allegedly beaten with “a snow shovel and broom handle” by two people who came to the assistance of the man.
It comes one week after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, also in Minneapolis, which has since sparked outrage from politicians and protests across the country.
Mike Bedigan has this report.
Federal agent shoots Venezuelan immigrant in leg during Minneapolis arrest attempt
Hello and welcome
08:55 , Joe SommerladGood morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis and President Donald Trump’s administration.
One week on from the killing of mother-of-three Renee Nicole Good on a residential street, another person was shot by a federal immigration officer, this time wounding him in the leg. He is reportedly in a stable condition in hospital.
