After Third Federal Shooting, ICE Accountability Project Calls for Independent Investigation and Federal Withdrawal

The ICE Accountability Project issued the following statement Saturday after reports of another fatal shooting by federal law enforcement near 26th St. W and Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis — the third shooting by federal agents since January 7.

“Once again, federal agents carried out a botched attempted arrest that ended in a fatal shooting—turning another Minneapolis neighborhood into a crime scene. This morning’s incident is the third federal agent-involved shooting in Minneapolis in weeks—an escalating pattern that is endangering the public and eroding trust.

“We call on Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty to open an immediate, independent investigation into today’s shooting. That investigation must include preservation of all video and communications, identification of the involved agents, and the prompt release of verified facts to the public.

“It is abundantly clear that this operation is endangering more people than it is supposedly protecting. The Trump administration must immediately withdraw federal immigration agents from Minnesota and cease ‘Operation Metro Surge’. Even as courts intervene and Minnesota leaders seek relief, federal agents are seemingly operating with impunity — escalating encounters, using excessive force, and leaving communities to deal with the fallout. Accountability must be restored.”

The latest shooting comes amid mounting legal challenges to the surge in federal immigration enforcement. On January 12, 2026, the State of Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis, and the City of Saint Paul filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt “Operation Metro Surge”: State of Minnesota, et al. v. Noem, et al., No. 0:26-cv-00190 (D. Minn.).

Days later, U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez issued an order on January 16, 2026 restricting certain federal tactics against peaceful protesters and observers in the related case Tincher, et al. v. Noem, et al., No. 0:25-cv-04669 (D. Minn.)—including limits on detentions and pepper spray—before the Eighth Circuit issued an administrative stay on January 21, 2026 while the appeal proceeds.

Meanwhile, shootings linked to these operations have continued: January 7—Renée Good was shot and killed; January 14—a man was shot and wounded in North Minneapolis; January 24—a person was shot and killed near 26th and Nicollet, with details still developing.

Residents with photo and video evidence of the encounters are encouraged to submit an incident report on ReportICEnow.com.