Fear and anger spread after another immigration shooting in Minneapolis
[January 15, 2026]
By STEVE KARNOWSKI, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and HALLIE GOLDEN
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.”
Things later began to quiet down at the scene, and by early Thursday
fewer demonstrators and law enforcement officers were there.
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.”
“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,” he said.
Frey described a federal force that is five times as big as the city’s
600-officer police force and has “invaded” the city, scaring and
angering residents, some of whom want the officers to “fight ICE
agents.” At the same time, the police force is still responsible for
their day-to-day work to keep the public safe.
The Department of Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000
arrests in the state since early December and is vowing to not back
down.
Shooting followed chase
In a statement describing the events that led to Wednesday's shooting,
Homeland Security said federal law enforcement officers stopped a person
from Venezuela who was in the U.S. illegally. The person drove away and
crashed into a parked car before taking off on foot, DHS said.
After officers reached the person, two other people arrived from a
nearby apartment and all three started attacking the officer, according
to DHS.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three
individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS
said.
The two people who came out of the apartment are in custody, it said.
O’Hara said the man shot was in the hospital with a non-life-threatening
injury.
The shooting took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) north of where
Good was killed. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that
of Homeland Security.
Clashes in court as well
Earlier Wednesday, a judge gave the Trump administration time to respond
to a request to suspend its immigration crackdown in Minnesota, while
the Pentagon looked for military lawyers to join what has become a
chaotic law enforcement effort in the state.
“What we need most of all right now is a pause. The temperature needs to
be lowered," state Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter said during
the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by Minnesota and the cities of
Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Local leaders say the government is violating free speech and other
constitutional rights with the surge of law enforcement. U.S. District
Judge Katherine Menendez gave the U.S. Justice Department until Monday
to file a response to a request for a restraining order.
Justice Department attorney Andrew Warden suggested the approach set by
Menendez was appropriate.
The judge is also handling a separate lawsuit challenging the tactics
used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal officers
when they encounter protesters and observers. A decision could be
released this week.
During a televised speech before Wednesday's shooting, Gov. Tim Walz
described Minnesota as being in chaos, saying what's happening in the
state “defies belief.”
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Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a
reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP
Photo/Adam Gray)
“Let’s be very, very clear, this long ago stopped being a matter of
immigration enforcement,” he said. “Instead, it’s a campaign of
organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own
federal government.”
Military lawyers may join the surge
CNN, citing an email circulating in the military, says Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth is asking the military branches to identify
40 lawyers known as judge advocate general officers or JAGs, and 25
of them will serve as special assistant U.S. attorneys in
Minneapolis.
Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson appeared to confirm the CNN
report by posting it on X with a comment that the military “is proud
to support” the Justice Department.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to emails from The
Associated Press seeking more details.
It’s the latest step by the Trump administration to dispatch
military and civilian attorneys to areas where federal immigration
operations are taking place. The Pentagon last week sent 20 lawyers
to Memphis, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said.
Mark Nevitt, an associate professor at Emory University School of
Law and a former Navy JAG, said there's concern that the assignments
are taking lawyers away from the military justice system.
“There are not many JAGs but there are over one million members of
the military, and they all need legal support,” he said.
An official says the agent who killed Good was injured
Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who
killed Good, suffered internal bleeding to his torso during the
encounter, a Homeland Security official told The Associated Press.
The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity in order to
discuss Ross’ medical condition. The official did not provide
details about the severity of the injuries, and the agency did not
respond to questions about the extent of the bleeding, exactly how
he suffered the injury, when it was diagnosed or his medical
treatment.
There are many causes of internal bleeding, and they vary in
severity from bruising to significant blood loss. Video from the
scene showed Ross and other officers walking without obvious
difficulty after Good was shot and her Honda Pilot crashed into
other vehicles.
She was killed after three ICE officers surrounded her SUV on a
snowy street a few blocks from her home.
Bystander video shows one officer ordering Good to open the door and
grabbing the handle. As the vehicle begins to move forward, Ross,
standing in front, raises his weapon and fires at least three shots
at close range. He steps back as the SUV advances and turns.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said Ross was struck by
the vehicle and that Good was using her SUV as a weapon — a
self-defense claim that has been deeply criticized by Minnesota
officials.
Chris Madel, an attorney for Ross, declined to comment on any
injuries.
Good’s family, meanwhile, has hired a law firm, Romanucci & Blandin,
that represented George Floyd’s family in a $27 million settlement
with Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black, died after a white police
officer pinned his neck to the ground in the street in May 2020.
The firm said it would conduct its own investigation and publicly
share what it learns.
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Associated Press reporters Julie Watson in San Diego, Rebecca
Santana in Washington, Ed White in Detroit, Giovanna Dell’Orto in
Minneapolis and Graham Lee Brewer in Oklahoma City contributed.
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