Newly surfaced video footage is throwing cold water on Democratic officials’ early claims surrounding a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, appearing to show that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was struck by a vehicle moments before opening fire.
The incident unfolded early Wednesday morning in south Minneapolis during a large-scale federal immigration enforcement operation. According to the Department of Homeland Security, thousands of federal officers were deployed across multiple locations as part of a coordinated crackdown.
The woman involved, identified by authorities as a 37-year-old, was killed at the scene.
What has changed the narrative is a new camera angle circulating online that appears to show the ICE agent being hit by the woman’s vehicle before shots were fired. Federal officials have maintained from the outset that the officer acted in self-defense after the suspect allegedly attempted to use her car as a weapon against agents on the ground.
WATCH:
BREAKING: New angle of the moment an ICE officer fired shots at a driver in Minneapolis.
The footage appears to show the agent being struck by the car before the shots were fired.
The woman, 37, is deceased.
The Department of Homeland Security says the officer was acting in… pic.twitter.com/ZESontgKnn
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 7, 2026
DHS characterized the act as comparable to domestic terrorism. However, Minneapolis Democratic leaders immediately pushed back.
“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,” a statement from ICE read. “An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots. He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers.”
The newly released footage appears to undermine claims that the woman posed no imminent threat. While investigations are ongoing, the angle suggests physical contact between the vehicle and the agent occurred before the officer discharged his weapon, bolstering the federal claim of self-defense.
The Department of Homeland Security stood by its assessment Wednesday, reiterating that the officer believed his life and the lives of fellow agents were in immediate danger. Officials said that ICE officers are increasingly facing hostile environments during enforcement operations, particularly in sanctuary-style jurisdictions where local leaders openly oppose federal immigration law.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly condemned the shooting, calling it “reckless” and asserting that early video clips contradicted the federal government’s account. Frey went as far as demanding that ICE withdraw from the city, arguing that the operation created fear and disorder rather than public safety.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that multiple agencies are reviewing the incident, including the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. He said investigators are working to reconcile differing video angles and eyewitness accounts.
Governor Tim Walz urged calm as the investigation proceeds, though he stopped short of endorsing DHS’s version of events.
Local media outlets initially reported that the woman was a U.S. citizen and may have been observing or participating in protests against the ICE operation. Following the shooting, large crowds gathered near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue, with tensions flaring between demonstrators and law enforcement. Federal agents deployed chemical irritants after some protesters refused orders to disperse.
More footage and official findings are expected in the coming days.
