Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday issued a warning order to prepare the National Guard after a woman was fatally shot in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
"I remind you, a warning order is a heads-up for folks, and these National Guard troops are our National Guard troops," Walz said during a press conference following the shooting.
An ICE officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist during the Trump administration's latest immigration crackdown on a major American city, a shooting that federal officials claimed was an act of self-defense but that the city's mayor described as "reckless" and unnecessary.
Videos taken by bystanders with different vantage points and posted to social media show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.
The SUV begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the SUV at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.
The shooting marked a dramatic escalation of the latest of a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump administration.
The death of the Minneapolis driver, whose name wasn't immediately released, was at least the fifth death linked to immigration crackdowns.
The Twin Cities have been on edge since the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, which is at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Wednesday that DHS had deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area and said they had already made "hundreds and hundreds" of arrests.
Walz said he's been warning "for weeks" that the Trump administration's "dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety and that someone was going to get hurt."
He also pushed back on federal officials' account of the incident, telling reporters: "Don't buy into this propaganda.
"The state will conduct a full, fair, and swift investigation to deliver accountability and justice."
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the shooting.
Minnesota National Guard Joint Staff Director Simon Schaefer said the state's National Guard is "always prepared to respond and support state agencies and the citizens of Minnesota."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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