A 37-year-old anti-ICE agitator who was armed with a handgun was shot and killed by federal Border Patrol agents on Saturday morning during what the Department of Homeland Security described as a targeted immigration enforcement operation, sparking immediate political outrage and street protests.
Border Patrol officers were conducting a targeted operation against an illegal immigrant wanted for violent assault. According to the federal agency, a man approached officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. Officers attempted to disarm the individual before he violently resisted, leading to an armed struggle.
🚨 JUST IN: Slowed-down video PROVES the armed man in Minneapolis began to draw his firearm before Border agents took him to the ground
Self defense, case closed, the left lied again.
Probably radicalized by Jacob Frey and Tim Walz. FAFO.pic.twitter.com/MWdqAlqvZK
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 24, 2026
In a press conference, Border Commander Greg Bovino said the agent fired after assessing an immediate threat to officers on the scene. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots,” he said.
According to Bovino, medics provided aid immediately, but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. He said the suspect was carrying two loaded magazines and had no identification. Bovino described the encounter as a deliberate attempt to inflict mass harm on law enforcement.
“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” he said.
Bovino added that the situation escalated when a large group arrived and began interfering with officers.
“Then, about two hundred rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement,” he said, noting that crowd control measures were deployed to protect the public and officers. Bovino said the investigation remains ongoing.
“The situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.”
Despite the lack of complete details, Democrats pounced on the story to once again attack federal law enforcement and President Trump.
Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference alongside Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara to address the shooting and rapidly growing protests. While O’Hara tried to de-escalate and call for calm, Frey had other intentions entirely.
“I just saw a video of more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death,” he said.
“How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end? How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values?”
Gov. Tim Walz also responded to the shooting.
“I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” he said in a post on X Saturday morning.
“The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
Walz has been accusing ICE agents of being inadequately trained for weeks; however, in a statement responding to the shooting, the Border Patrol Union pointed out that Border Patrol agents “are trained extremely well to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and innocent third parties. When a supposed ‘peaceful’ protester brings a weapon (such as a loaded handgun) and brandishes it, there are going to be severe consequences and repercussions.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) issued a statement accusing federal agents of murdering another member of the community.
“This appears to be an execution by immigration enforcement. I am absolutely heartbroken, horrified, and appalled that federal agents murdered another member of our community. It is beyond shameful these federal agents are targeting our residents instead of protecting them,” she said.
“This isn’t isolated or accidental. The Trump administration is trying to beat us into submission rather than protect us. This administration cannot continue violating constitutional rights under the guise of immigration enforcement. ICE and CBP must leave Minnesota immediately. Their presence is terrorizing our communities, violating rights, and taking lives with zero accountability. Minnesota was once a place of refuge, and Trump has turned it into a war zone where unchecked federal forces murder our neighbors.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar urged the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress to get ICE out of the state immediately.
However, Vice President JD Vance, who was in Minnesota earlier this week, responded to the shooting by criticizing local authorities for failing to respond to requests for collaboration with federal agents.
“When I visited Minnesota, what the ICE agents wanted more than anything was to work with local law enforcement so that situations on the ground didn’t get out of hand,” he said.
“The local leadership in Minnesota has so far refused to answer those requests.”
President Trump also blamed the lack of police for the violence.
“Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?” He asked in a post on Truth Social.
“The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves.”
The situation remains fluid, but one thing is clear: a man with a loaded gun and two loaded magazines was clearly looking for trouble, resisted arrest, and put federal agents in a position where they had to defend themselves.
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