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Fear, Anger After Another MN Shooting 01/15 06:16
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."
"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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