KARE 11 reporter Jana Shortal was pepper-sprayed in Minneapolis on Saturday just after ICE agents shot and killed a second person in the city, a moment that fueled a new wave of large protests even as freezing temperatures and icy streets made conditions dangerous.
Shortal said she was on Nicollet Avenue, behind the police line, watching people interacting with border patrol agents and chanting. She stressed that she was standing where she was supposed to be and had visible press credentials when officers began moving the line forward.
She described what happened next in her own words. “They started to push and move the line. And I started to back up and this one officer just pushed me really hard and I said, ‘Do not push me. I’m press.’”
She said the officer pushed her again. “And then he did it again and I fell backwards and I said, ‘I’m press.’ And then I felt this burn in my eye. I didn’t see what it was, but I can’t find my glasses.”
Protesters nearby quickly stepped in to help her, flushing out her eye and offering support. Shortal said the people around her showed compassion in a moment that could have gone very differently.
“These people opened their apartment complex to help, medics came,” she said. “I mean, there’s a lot of people out here that are trying to help. I know some folks hear these chants, and they say, ‘Everybody’s bad at these protests,’ but it’s not true. They helped me, and they gave me towels and a new shirt.”
KARE 11 did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. When asked for comment, ICE directed TheWrap to a statement the agency shared on social media.
“At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here,” the post reads in part.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming.”
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara later identified the victim as a “37-year-old white male resident of the city” on Saturday. He added, “What I can tell you, is we have identified this person. 37-year-old white male, resident of the city. The only interaction that we are aware of with law enforcement has been for traffic tickets. We believe he is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
Open carry is legal in Minneapolis for people with a permit, though officials said it was not yet clear whether the victim had been carrying legally at the time of the shooting.
Early Saturday, reports began to circulate about another shooting involving federal agents in the city. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar acknowledged the situation on social media, writing, “There has been another shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis and I am working to get more information. I will update as soon as possible. To the Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress who have stood silent: Get ICE out of our state NOW.”
She followed up with a second post that said, “Donald Trump and all your lieutenants who ordered this ICE surge: watch the horrific video of the killing today. The world is watching. Thousands of citizens stopped and harassed. Local police no longer able to do their work. Kids hiding. Schools closed. Get ICE out of Minnesota NOW. And Republicans in congress: Stop your silence and stop being complicit.”
The City of Minneapolis also shared an update online, saying, “We are aware of reports of another shooting involving federal law enforcement in the area of 26th Street W and Nicollet Ave. We are working to confirm additional details. We ask the public to remain calm and avoid the immediate area.”
Gov. Tim Walz weighed in as well, writing, “I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
People who believe they have been affected by ICE actions in Minneapolis are being encouraged to contact lawyers through MIRAC, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee.