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
Daily Show salutes protesters, from the baloney pitcher to Pickle Rick
12:45 , Joe SommerladJordan Klepper paid tribute to the many people who have taken to the streets to make light of the Trump administration’s surge into Minneapolis, finding ingenious ways to send up the federal agents and the conservative news media covering their activities.
Minnesotans are fighting back against ICE and right-wing media propaganda in the most American ways possible: peaceful protest, Pickle Rick costumes, and tossed lunch meat pic.twitter.com/S7WgtKG3fN
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) January 15, 2026
Renee Good’s family hire George Floyd lawyers to investigate her killing by ICE agent
12:25 , Joe SommerladThe family of the woman shot dead by an ICE agent last week has hired the law firm that represented George Floyd’s loved ones after his killing by police in the same city in May 2020.
Chicago-based firm Romanucci & Blandin has said it is investigating Good’s tragic death on behalf of her family.
Owen Scott reports.
Renee Good’s family hire George Floyd lawyers to investigate her killing by ICE agent
Half of Americans think ICE is making cities less safe, new poll finds
12:05 , Joe SommerladA narrow majority of U.S. citizens believe the presence of ICE agents in American cities is making them less safe, according to a new poll.
Fifty-one percent of people surveyed by SSRS on behalf of CNN said they considered the officers surging into Democrat-run cities like Minneapolis, Portland, Chicago, and Los Angeles as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented migrants had had a negative impact.
Another 31 percent said they believed the opposite – that the agents were making a positive difference – and 18 percent said they had not noticed a difference either way.
The poll was conducted in the aftermath of the killing of Renee Nicole Good on a residential street in Minneapolis on January 7.
Asked about the fatal shooting of Good, 51 percent of respondents said they considered it an inappropriate use of force by Ross and indicative of wider problems with how ICE conducts itself.
Another six percent said they considered it inappropriate but regarded the encounter as a one-off and of no wider significance.
Only 26 percent said they believed the agent had acted appropriately and, again, 18 percent said they did not know enough about the incident to offer an opinion.
‘It’s very problematic for him’
11:45 , Joe SommerladSome ICE agents say they are “embarrassed” by the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota, saying that the current behavior of the agency is “an insult” to past members.
“I’m embarrassed,” a former agent with more than 25 years of experience told Time. “The majority of my colleagues feel the same way. It’s an insult to us, because we did it the right way to see what they’re doing now.”
The Trump administration has defended the actions of the agent, Jonathan Ross, who shot the 37-year-old three times through the windshield of her car, saying she had been committing “an act of domestic terrorism.”
Even current ICE agents say they have concerns about Ross’s conduct. “If you fear for your life and you're in imminent danger, policy says you could fire at that vehicle if there's no other recourse,” a current agent told Time.
“If someone is able to make the argument that she was trying to hit him, he feared for his life, and all he could do was shoot… then sure, he can justify it that way. But I think when you look at it a little bit more, it’s… very problematic for him.”
Mike Bedigan has more.
Some ICE agents admit they are ‘embarrassed’ by shooting in Minnesota, report says
Attorney General claims she fired Minnesota prosecutors
11:25 , Joe SommerladPam Bondi claimed on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show last night that she dismissed the federal prosecutors in Minnesota, who were previously reported to have resigned on principle earlier this week in opposition to orders from the Department of Justice that they investigate the widow of Renee Good and rebuffed an investigation into ICE officer who fatally shot her.
Bondi: "What happened in Minnesota -- we had 6 prosecutors who suddenly decided they didn't want to support the men and women in ICE. One of them was busy doing a photo shoot with the New York Times while ICE was out there risking their lives ... breaking news tonight: I fired… pic.twitter.com/ddXvjgEBGh
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2026
Here’s Alex Woodward’s original report on their departure.
Top prosecutors in Minnesota resign over DOJ investigation into Renee Good’s widow
City of Minneapolis calls for calm
11:05 , Joe SommerladThis appeal for an end to the unrest marks a stark contrast with the president’s messaging overnight:
The City of Minneapolis again demands that ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand by our immigrant and refugee communities – know that you have our full support.
— City of Minneapolis (@CityMinneapolis) January 15, 2026
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
President rages against alleged corruption in Minneapolis: ‘There’s no nothing, except FRAUD’
10:12 , Joe SommerladRather than address the ICE uproar directly, Trump lashed out at the city on Truth Social last night, posting the following:
“Does anybody believe that in Minneapolis, these are the Food Stamp Businesses? There’s no Food, there’s no cleanliness, there’s no service, there’s no nothing, except FRAUD. They get sent Millions of Dollars of Taxpayer Money, and laugh at how STUPID the Americans are, but not anymore. These people should be sent back to Somalia, or any other Country from where they came. California, Illinois, New York, and so many other places are equally as bad. It’s all a giant Democrat SCAM, with protection from the Fake News Media but, it will end, as we, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
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.
