Minnesota Governor Walz Condemns Federal Agents After Minneapolis Shooting
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Saturday demanded President Donald Trump remove federal agents deployed in the state following a controversial shooting that has sparked widespread unrest and violence across Minnesota.
Walz labeled the incident as part of a pattern of “deadly violence from federal agents again and again and again,” stating they were “sowing chaos and violence” in the state. The remarks came after federal immigration officers fatally shot a man in Minneapolis on Saturday, an event that drew hundreds of protesters to the city already reeling from another fatal shooting weeks earlier.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that a 37-year-old man was killed in the incident and noted that details about what led up to the shooting were limited.
Walz emphasized the peaceful conduct of Minnesotans during the unrest, saying: “In contrast to that on these frozen streets what you witnessed yesterday was the best of Minnesota, peacefully exercising their first amendment rights.”
He further stated: “Despite the horrific acts by this federal government, Minnesotans are standing up for the rule of law, they are protesting loudly and urgently, but peacefully.”
Walz also urged protesters to remain peaceful, adding that Minnesotans were creating a log of evidence for future prosecution against those responsible. He praised their courage and restraint, saying: “I salute their courage and restraint, and I call on all Americans to see the decency that the state is exhibiting and the horrific cruelty, unprofessional, absolute abomination that is passing for what these ICE agents are doing on our streets.”
The governor warned that federal officials were “dead wrong” in trying to provoke Minnesotans into abandoning their values. Walz pledged: “We’ll keep the peace, we’ll secure the justice with our neighbors, and we’ll see this occupation end.”
Walz added that Minnesotans and state law enforcement would continue to be “the adults in the room, the professionals in the room, the decent human beings in the room that will keep the peace,” despite being “continuously denigrated by this administration.”
The Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, stated that federal officers were conducting an operation as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him.
O’Hara said police believe the man was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
