In a harrowing incident, a woman who identified herself as the spouse of a protester fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, was heard crying out in despair after witnessing the tragedy unfold.
The victim, a 37-year-old woman, was shot three times in the face during a protest in Minneapolis on Wednesday. According to reports, she was shot after allegedly ignoring ICE agents’ orders to exit her vehicle, reversing it instead, and attempting to leave the scene.
ICE officials have claimed that she intentionally drove her burgundy SUV towards the agents. However, witnesses have contested this account, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has dismissed the official explanation as ‘nonsense.’
A video circulating online shows a witness conversing with a woman who claimed to be the deceased protester’s wife, mentioning they have a six-year-old child together.
“That’s my wife, I don’t know what to do,” she cried out, her voice filled with distress.
The person recording the video inquired if she was with the woman who had been killed and asked if she had any friends who could offer assistance.
‘That’s my wife… [unintelligible]… I have a six-year-old at school… we’re new here we don’t have anyone,’ she replied.
The frantic woman could also be heard to scream: ‘We need a doctor.’
The 37-year-old woman was shot three times in the face at a protest in Minneapolis on Wednesday and died at the scene
The witness filmed the scene of the shooting as he spoke to the woman claiming to be the victim’s wife
The man asked if she knew any of her wife’s relatives she could call but she said, ‘I can’t even deal with that now.’
Photos of the woman’s car showed children’s toys inside.
Witnesses claimed the woman and her wife were acting as legal observers and filming the protest when she was shot.
But ICE insisted the woman tried to use the SUV as a deadly weapon.
Footage showed an agent trying to open its driver-side door handle before she drove off.
The woman was then shot, lost control of the SUV and slammed it into parked cars and a light pole at high speed, prompting screams of shock from horrified onlookers.
The woman’s SUV was seen with a bullet hole through the driver’s side windshield.
Photos of the woman’s car showed children’s toys inside
Senator Tina Smith said the woman was a US citizen. O’Hara said nothing indicated that ‘this woman was the target of a law enforcement investigation.’
The woman has not been identified by officials, but they described her as a 37-year-old white woman.
Her spouse has arrived at the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
At a press conference, Mayor Jacob Frey claimed DHS was trying ‘to spin this as an act of self-defense.’
‘This is bulls**t,’ he said. ‘I have a message for our community, our city, and ICE – to ICE, get the f**k out of Minneapolis.’
‘We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is safety and you are doing exactly the opposite.’
Frey highlighted how ‘people are being hurt’ and ‘families are being ripped apart’ by immigration officials.
‘Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy, are being terrorized and now somebody is dead. That’s on you – and it’s also on you to leave,’ he said.
The FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the shooting, O’Hara said, as he disputed DHS’ version of events.
Governor Tim Walz asked his citizens to ‘remain calm’ as he slammed DHS’ narrative as ‘propaganda.’
‘The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice,’ he wrote on Twitter.
‘Don’t believe this propaganda machine.’
Hundreds of ICE agents are near the corner of 33rd and Portland Avenue this morning as immigration tensions continue to rise in the Midwestern city.
Protesters have been gathering in the area in response to the shooting, and some threw snowballs at ICE officers.
Videos shared online showed ICE and other federal agents douse protesters with tear gas and pepper spray.
More to come.
