Minneapolis shooting: Trump claims victim ‘violently, willfully, and viciously' ran over ICE agent
Donald Trump has reacted to the shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by ICE agents, where he reiterated the claims made by the DHS that the victim herself tried to run down the agent, which led to the latter shooting her in self-defence.
The shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by an agent of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday has led to political sqaubbling, with President Donald Trump agreeing with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims that the shooting was carried out in 'self defence' as the woman was trying to run over the agents, while the city's mayor, Jacob Frey, has called such claims to be "bull***'.
Trump himself shared a video of the incident on Truth Social, wherein he claimed that the woman “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense".
In the video shared by the US President, one woman can be heard shouting at the agents, and Trump labelled her “a professional agitator”.
Without any investigation being conducted yet, Trump went on to claim that “these incidents are happening…because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis.”
Minneapolis mayor slams claims
Frey, in a news conference on Wednesday, said, "We collectively are going to do everything possible to get to the bottom of this, to get justice and to make sure that there is an investigation conducted in full. But what we do know is that a 37-year-old woman is dead, and she was shot by ICE," as per a report by Fox9.
"We’ve dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis… They are not here to create safety in this city, what they are doing is causing chaos and distrust. They are ripping families apart, sowing chaos in our streets, and in this case are literally killing people," Frey further added.
The mayor also slammed the official statement of the DHS, which was issued on behalf of the ICE agents. In the statement, the DHS claimed that the officers were "fearing for their life" when they shot the victim, who was in her car.
"They are already trying to spin this as an act of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly – that is bullshit," Fox9 quoted Frey as saying.
The mayor also addressed the community in the wake of the event, asking them to respond to this incidence with "the vest versions of themselves" since the Trump government is trying to "sow chaos."
Frey also claimed that the ICE agents are trying to create a situation in the city that could lead to a military occupation, adding, They want an excuse to come in and show the kind of force that will create more chaos. Let's not let them."
In a similar vein, Minnesota governor Tim Walz has also refuted the claims of the DHS.
In a post on X, Walz said, "I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice."
What did the DHS say?
The DHS, in a statement, claimed that the victim of the shooting had ‘weaponized her car’ in order to attack the ICE agents, and had attempted to run them down.
“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—an act of domestic terrorism,” the statement read.