‘She was turning around, he pulled out a gun...’: Witness claims ICE agent fatally shot woman trying to flee in Minneapolis

A woman was shot dead during a confrontation involving federal immigration agents (ICE) in south Minneapolis on Wednesday, with a witness disputing the Trump administration's claim that the shooting was an act of self-defence and the woman was trying to run over officers.

Emily Heller told MPR News that shouting outside her home woke her up, and she saw a tense scene on the road. She said a car was blocking traffic and appeared to be part of a protest against federal law enforcement activity in Minnesota. She lives near 33rd Street and Portland Avenue, where the incident took place.


Heller said ICE agents were shouting at a woman driver, telling her to “get out of here”. According to Heller, the woman was attempting to turn her car around to leave when an agent stepped directly in front of the vehicle and shot her in the face.

“She was trying to turn around, and the ICE agent was in front of her car, and he pulled out a gun and put it right in — like, his midriff was on her bumper — and he reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times,” Heller told MPR.

Heller said the car then accelerated and crashed into a utility pole and other parked vehicles nearby. The driver was seen slumped over the steering wheel, with blood visible inside the car in social media videos.

Federal authorities gave a different account and perspective of the incident. In a statement, ICE said the agent fired after “fearing for his life” during a "violent" confrontation with the woman, and acted in self-defence.

“Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them,” the statement said.

“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots,” it added.

ICE said the woman was killed and that the injured officers were expected to recover.

The shooting came a day after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its largest-ever operation was underway in Minnesota. The agency said 2,000 officers were being deployed to the Twin Cities as part of the huge immigration crackdown. The GOP government has shown its hostility towards the large Somali community living in the Blue states, with leaders like Elon Musk and JD Vance calling for their deportations. Moreover, a recent, alleged scam, fraud came to light, which is also under investigation.

Social media users claimed the woman was a legal observer. Viral videos appear to show a doctor being prevented at gunpoint from giving medical aid before emergency services arrived.

City officials are expected to address the incident later on Wednesday.