MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, USA (AP) — A federal agent shot a person in the leg in Minneapolis after being attacked with a shovel during an arrest on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The person cautioned that the information was still preliminary and that the investigation was in its early stages. The person could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
The shooting occurred about 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) north of where an immigration agent killed Renee Good by shooting her in the head on January 7 as she drove away in her car.
A large group of federal agents and Minneapolis police wearing gas masks unleashed tear gas at a crowd gathered at an intersection in north Minneapolis near where Wednesday’s shooting occurred.
Minneapolis said on X that “we are aware of reports of a shooting involving federal forces in north Minneapolis. We are working to confirm further details.”
Earlier in the day, a judge gave the Trump administration time to respond to a request to suspend its immigration operation in Minnesota, while the Pentagon sought military lawyers to join what has become a chaotic policing operation in the state.
Clouds of tear gas, the use of chemical irritants, and the sound of protest whistles have become common on the streets of Minneapolis, especially since an immigration agent killed Good.
Agents have forced people out of their vehicles and clashed with angry bystanders demanding that they leave the city.
“What we need most right now is a pause. We need to cool things down,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Carter during the first hearing in a suit filed by Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Local leaders say that by intensifying its immigration crackdown, the government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights. Federal Judge Katherine Menendez promised to keep the case “front and center” and gave the Department of Justice until Monday to file a response to the request for a restraining order.
She added that these are “grave and important” matters, and that there are few legal precedents to apply to some of the case’s key points.
The Justice Department’s attorney, Andrew Warden, hinted that the approach laid out by Menendez was appropriate.
The judge also oversees another suit challenging ICE tactics and other federal agents when they encounter protesters and bystanders. A decision in that case could be announced this week.
In a televised address Wednesday night, Governor Tim Walz described Minnesota as a state in chaos, and said what is happening in the state “defies logic.”
“Let me be very, very clear, this ceased to be an immigration-enforcement issue a long time ago,” he said. “Rather, it is an organized campaign of brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”
Walz added that accountability will come through the courts.
The Department of Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December and promises not to back down. The Pentagon is preparing to send military lawyers to Minneapolis to assist.
CNN, citing an email circulating in the military, reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the services to identify 40 lawyers—JAG officers—of whom 25 would serve as special assistants to the federal prosecutor’s office in Minneapolis.
Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson seemed to confirm CNN’s report by posting it on X, adding that the military “is proud to support” the Department of Justice.
The Pentagon did not respond yet to AP emails seeking further details.
This marks the latest step by the Trump administration to deploy military and civilian lawyers to areas where federal immigration operations take place. The Pentagon sent 20 lawyers to Memphis last week, according to federal prosecutor D. Michael Dunavant.
Mark Nevitt, an associate professor at the Emory University School of Law and former Navy JAG, said there is concern that these assignments are pulling lawyers away from the military justice system.
“There aren’t many JAGs, but there are more than a million service members, and they all need legal support,” he said.
Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed Good, suffered internal bleeding in the torso during the encounter, according to a DHS official to The Associated Press.
The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss Ross’s medical condition. The official did not provide details on the severity of the injuries, and the agency did not respond to questions about the magnitude of the bleeding, exactly how the injury occurred, when it was diagnosed, or his medical treatment.
Internal bleeding can occur for various reasons and its severity ranges from bruising to significant blood loss. A video of the scene showed Ross and other agents walking with no obvious difficulty after Ross shot Good.
Good was shot after three ICE agents surrounded the pickup she was driving on a snow-covered street a few blocks from her home.
A video recorded by a bystander shows an agent approaching the stopped pickup, ordering Good to open the door and grabbing the handle. As the vehicle begins to move, Ross, who was standing in front of the pickup, raises his weapon and fires at least three shots at close range. He steps back as the vehicle advances.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said that Ross was hit by the vehicle and that Good was using her vehicle as a weapon, a description that has drawn sharp criticism from state officials.
Chris Madel, Ross’s attorney, declined to comment on any injuries.
Good’s family has hired the Chicago-based Romanucci & Blandin law firm, which represented George Floyd’s family in a $27 million settlement with the city of Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black, died after a police officer pinned him to the neck in May 2020.
The firm said Good was complying with orders to move her car when Ross shot her. It added that it would conduct its own investigation and publicly share its findings.
“They don’t want her to be used as a political pawn,” the firm said, referring to Good and her family, “but rather as a peacemaker for everyone.”
Brandishing signs against ICE, hundreds of teens left their school in St. Paul and marched in frigid temperatures to the state Capitol for a protest.
The University of Minnesota, meanwhile, told its more than 50,000 students that there could be online options for some classes when the new term begins next week. President Rebecca Cunningham noted that “the violence and protests have come to our doorstep.” The campus sits next to Minneapolis’s main Somali neighborhood.
Breaking news, more to come.
