Watch: Noem defends fatal shooting of Minneapolis woman in statements to reporters

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest crackdown on immigration in a major US city.

Watch Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference in the video player above.

The woman was shot during a traffic stop in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets and about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where police killed George Floyd in 2020. Her killing quickly sparked a crowd of hundreds of angry protesters.

Read more: What we know so far about the Minneapolis shooting

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, during her visit to Texas, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out by a woman against ICE officers who “tried to run them over and hit them with her vehicle. Our officer acted quickly and defensively, firing to protect himself and the people around him.”

But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey slammed that description as “garbage” and criticized the federal deployment of more than 2,000 officers in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of an immigration crackdown.

“They are not here to provide security in this city. What they are doing is not providing safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and mistrust,” Frey said.

The Minneapolis police chief gave no indication that the driver was trying to harm anyone

Chief Brian O’Hara briefly described the shooting to reporters. Unlike federal officials, O’Hara did not say the driver was trying to hurt anyone. He said she was shot in the head.

“This woman was in her car and was blocking the road on Portland Street… and at some point a federal law enforcement officer approached her on foot and the car started to drive off,” the chief said.

“At least two shots were fired. Then the car crashed on the side of the road.”

A Minnesota state official says the state will investigate the shooting with federal authorities

That’s according to Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

“Keep in mind that this investigation is also in its infancy. So any speculation about what happened will be just speculation,” Jacobson told reporters.

The shooting occurred in the area of ​​Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar, who described it as “state violence,” not law enforcement.

The city says the 37-year-old shooting victim died at a hospital

The city of Minneapolis said in a statement that police officers “responded to reports of shots fired and found a woman with a life-threatening gunshot wound to the head.”

“Minneapolis firefighters then removed the 37-year-old victim from the vehicle and immediately began life-saving measures so paramedics could respond. She was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she later died.”