Second ICE-involved shooting rocks Minneapolis
Fox New’s Matt Finn and The Wounded Blue founder Lt. Randy Sutton join The Faulkner Focus in the wake of another ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis, protests that followed opposing views from local and federal leadership.
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A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, fighting for his life in Minneapolis, was ambushed with a shovel and broom handle by three illegal immigrants during a traffic stop, which quickly turned into a foot chase, violent struggle and shooting, officials said.
Federal authorities say the chaotic scene began Wednesday evening when agents conducted a targeted traffic stop on an illegal Venezuelan immigrant who had been released into the United States under former President Joe Biden.
What followed, they said, was an attempt to evade arrest that ended with one of the attackers being shot and the three detained.
The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday identified the illegal immigrants as Julio Cesar Sosa Celis, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez Ledesma, all Venezuelan citizens now in ICE custody.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested three men allegedly involved in beating an agent with a shovel during an enforcement operation. (Department of Homeland Security and Jeff Wheeler/Minnesota Star Tribune)
Federal officers were trying to arrest Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis when he fled the scene in his car, crashed into a parked car and ran on foot, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The pursuing officer caught up with Sosa-Celis and attempted to detain him, at which point he began resisting and violently assaulting the officer.
While the two were struggling on the ground, two people came out of a nearby apartment and began hitting the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle, the Department of Homeland Security said. Sosa-Celis broke free and also allegedly struck the officer before the agent, fearing for his life, fired a defensive shot that struck Sosa-Celis in the leg.
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Federal agents deal with rioters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, on January 14, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Jimmy Vera/Fox News)
Despite their injuries, Sosa-Celis and the two other men retreated to the apartment and barricaded themselves inside.
Eventually, ICE arrested and detained the three suspects. The officer and Sosa-Celise were taken to the hospital after the confrontation.
“What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement officials,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. “Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and broom handles. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot.”
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized local leadership, saying Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz should “get their city under control.” (Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)
Noem criticized local leadership, saying Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz should “put their city under control” and accused them of encouraging resistance against law enforcement, which she said “puts the people of Minnesota in harm’s way.”
The Department of Homeland Security said Sosa Celis is a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela with prior convictions, and Minnesota authorities released him before Immigration and Customs Enforcement could detain anyone.
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Ajorena and Hernandez Ledesma also entered the United States illegally and, according to DHS, failed to comply with immigration proceedings.
The three remain in ICE custody while authorities review the case.