Video Blows Up ICE’s Version of Deadly Minneapolis Shooting
Statements from the Trump administration do not line up with videos taken at the scene.
A shocking video showing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shooting a woman in Minneapolis has largely contradicted the agency’s version of events presented Wednesday morning.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claims that a woman driving an SUV attempted to run over several officers. However, the video footage shows that the agent who fired the shots was the only one in front of the vehicle and that he moved to the side of the road just before firing.
Noem, 54, also claimed that the woman, whose identity has not been revealed, “attacked” the officers – plural – as they were attempting to free a vehicle stuck in the snow. No video evidence supports this claim.
In contrast, a four-and-a-half-minute video circulating on social media shows the woman partially blocking traffic on a residential street with her red Honda SUV when two ICE agents arrived in a pickup truck, ordered her out of the vehicle, and attempted to open the driver’s side door. Her vehicle was not moving towards the two officers who were clearing their car of snow.
As one of the agents attempted to open the door, the vehicle began to move forward, its wheels turning to the right, away from the officers. The agent standing in front of the vehicle, whose name has not been released, appears to have stepped aside as the car accelerated and fired three shots: one through the windshield and two through the driver’s side window.
Moments later, the SUV crashed into a parked car on the street, as bystanders shouted, “What was that?” The 37-year-old woman killed has not been identified, nor has the officer who fired the shots. Images taken at the scene show children’s toys inside her car, including a stuffed animal.
The incident occurred about a mile and a half from where George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.
President Donald Trump went further than Secretary Noem and the Department of Homeland Security, surprisingly claiming that the woman involved had “brutally run over” an ICE agent. The video clearly shows this did not happen.
Trump wrote: “Hard to believe he’s still alive, but he’s currently recovering in the hospital.” He also claimed, without any evidence, that a panicked bystander – who was clearly shouting in fear and anger – was actually a “professional agitator.”
After the woman’s car accident, the agent who fired the shots ran towards her. He showed no apparent injuries in a video filmed by a witness who was only a few feet away.
Many, including Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz, have pointed out that the secretary’s explanation – and the Department of Homeland Security’s official statement confirming her claims – are completely contradicted by the video.
Walz called the Department of Homeland Security a “propaganda machine” and urged the public not to believe its version of events. He promised a thorough investigation and that justice would be served.
“The state will ensure a full, fair, and swift investigation to establish accountability and deliver justice,” he said.
Journalists have also noted inconsistencies.
Sam Stein, editor-in-chief of The Bulwark and an MSNBC contributor, said Noem’s claims about the events were “unrealistic.”
He posted on X, reposting a clip of Noem’s press conference in Texas, stating: “There’s video of the incident! It’s not like that at all.” In a later post, he elaborated on his objections to the government’s defense of the ICE agent.
“Even assuming the driver was heading straight for the ICE agent, there are obvious problems with these statements,” he asserted.
Stein continued: “1. The agent had moved out of the way when the car passed, so he shot at the side window. 2. Noem claimed the woman was assaulting them. However, the video shows this is false. 3. Noem stated that the driver was trying to run them over. 4. Noem claims the agents got stuck in the snow (which is not the case, at least according to the video).”
The Department of Homeland Security stated that the agents were injured in the incident but were expected to make a full recovery.
As Stein and others have pointed out, nothing in the videos suggests that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, let alone multiple agents, was injured by the deceased woman’s vehicle.
