News - World: A reported immigration enforcement operation carried out under US President Donald Trump’s expanded crackdown has ended in a fatal shooting in Minneapolis after an agent opens fire on a woman.

Federal officials citing their version of the Wednesday development said the woman was driving a vehicle that moved towards immigration agents, prompting an officer to shoot.

The Department of Homeland Security and Minneapolis officials had confirmed that the woman was killed at the scene.

The shooting took place as thousands of federal immigration agents were deployed across the Twin Cities region as part of what administration officials have described as the largest immigration operation ever conducted in Minneapolis.

According to federal accounts reported by the Associated Press, agents believed they were in danger when the vehicle advanced towards them.

However, multiple witnesses at the scene disputed that version. Bystanders told local reporters that the car was either stopped or moving slowly at the time of the shooting, and questioned whether the woman posed an immediate threat when shots were fired.

Video and eyewitness accounts collected by local media show at least one officer firing multiple shots at close range into the driver’s side of the vehicle. The car then moves a short distance before coming to a stop. The driver was pronounced dead after the incident.

Additional video circulating online has raised further questions about what happened after the shooting.

Doctor kept away at gunpoint

One footage shows a man identifying himself as a physician attempting to approach the vehicle to provide medical assistance. He repeatedly tells agents that the woman is bleeding and that someone medically trained needs to intervene. Federal agents are shown pointing weapons at him and ordering him to back away, preventing him from reaching the vehicle. The woman remained inside the car until medics arrived later.

Authorities have not released body-camera footage from the incident and have not publicly addressed the witness videos or accounts challenging the federal narrative.

The killing sparked protests at the scene, with demonstrators condemning the federal presence in the city.

Mayor: Immigration agents should leave

Minneapolis’s mayor called for federal immigration agents to leave, citing concerns over public safety and accountability.

The incident came amid intensified federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which has involved heavily-armed, large-scale deployments to major US cities.

Similar operations in recent years have drawn scrutiny following videos showing aggressive tactics by immigration agents.

Administration in denial

In a statement following the shooting, Trump said the officer involved “seems to” have acted in “self-defense.”

DHS officials, including Secretary Kristi Noem, characterized the incident as an attack on ICE officers, though that description has been questioned based on available video evidence.

Federal authorities have not announced whether the shooting would be independently investigated or whether additional evidence would be released.
Source: Press TV