MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal officer shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle, further heightening the sense of fear and anger radiating across the city a week after an immigration agent fatally shot a woman in the head.
Smoke filled the street Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd while protesters threw rocks and shot fireworks. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference that the gathering was an unlawful assembly and people need to leave.
Such protest scenes have become common on the streets of Minneapolis since a federal agent fatally shot Renee Good on Jan. 7 amid a massive immigration crackdown that has seen thousands of officers sent into the Twin Cities. Agents have yanked people from cars and homes and been confronted by angry bystanders who are demanding that officers pack up and leave.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the situation as not “sustainable.”
“... we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” he said.
Frey characterized the federal force as five times larger than the city’s police force of 600 officers, describing it as an invasion that has frightened many residents, some of whom openly call for confrontation with ICE agents.
On the day of the shooting, according to Department of Homeland Security, officers apprehended a man from Venezuela illegally in the U.S. after he fled and crashed into parked cars. The man and others allegedly ambushed the federal officer, prompting the officer to fire in self-defense.
As the situation unfolds, local leaders express their concerns regarding the government's actions, arguing they infringe on constitutional rights and escalate violence. Protests continue in Minneapolis as community calls for accountability grow louder.
Smoke filled the street Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd while protesters threw rocks and shot fireworks. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference that the gathering was an unlawful assembly and people need to leave.
Such protest scenes have become common on the streets of Minneapolis since a federal agent fatally shot Renee Good on Jan. 7 amid a massive immigration crackdown that has seen thousands of officers sent into the Twin Cities. Agents have yanked people from cars and homes and been confronted by angry bystanders who are demanding that officers pack up and leave.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the situation as not “sustainable.”
“... we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” he said.
Frey characterized the federal force as five times larger than the city’s police force of 600 officers, describing it as an invasion that has frightened many residents, some of whom openly call for confrontation with ICE agents.
On the day of the shooting, according to Department of Homeland Security, officers apprehended a man from Venezuela illegally in the U.S. after he fled and crashed into parked cars. The man and others allegedly ambushed the federal officer, prompting the officer to fire in self-defense.
As the situation unfolds, local leaders express their concerns regarding the government's actions, arguing they infringe on constitutional rights and escalate violence. Protests continue in Minneapolis as community calls for accountability grow louder.
