ReportWire

Tag: officer

  • Police killed SoCal man with a ‘less-lethal’ round. Officer’s use of force is ruled justified

    [ad_1]

    In the dark, early-morning hours outside a McDonald’s in Orange County, a police officer fired a shotgun loaded with so-called less-lethal munitions at a man swinging a belt, cursing at officers and believed to be under the influence of drugs, authorities said.

    One, two, three, then four shots of beanbag rounds were fired from a distance of around 30 feet, but the man did not comply with orders to get on the ground, according to a report released Thursday by the Orange County district attorney’s office.

    So, the officer fired a fifth shot. It pierced the man’s chest, and he fell to the ground bleeding profusely. Less than an hour later, he was pronounced dead.

    Investigators at the district attorney’s office recently determined that Fullerton Police Cpl. Nicholas Jarvis was justified in his use of force that killed Alejandro Campos Rios, 50, on March 6, 2024.

    “Corporal Jarvis’ deployment of the less-lethal bean bag shotgun at that distance was in accordance with his training and reasonable under the circumstances,” the report states.

    Less-lethal munitions such as beanbag rounds are designed to spread the force of impact over a larger area, without penetrating the skin, offering officers an alternative to bullets when defending against threats. And as police departments’ use of force across the nation has come under greater scrutiny in recent years, the use of less-lethal munitions has grown considerably.

    “I can appreciate that there seems to be more less-lethal methods being used as opposed to just straight out shooting people,” said civil rights attorney Kellen Davis, who has prosecuted many use-of-force cases against police departments. “But I think that force, period, should be a last resort. I would appreciate seeing more deescalation tactics as opposed to use of any sort of force.”

    Less-lethal munitions have been attributed to a decrease in fatal officer-involved shootings. However, they remain a controversial tool because of the injuries they can cause — and, in rare cases such as this, death.

    The 18-page report released by the district attorney’s office paints a detailed picture of the circumstances leading up to Campos Rios’ death, but it does not provide a clear answer as to how a tool intended to stun and disable became a fatal instrument.

    The incident began at 2:55 a.m. on March 6, 2024, when the Fullerton Police Department received a call from a woman who worked at a McDonald’s at 1341 S. Brookhurst Road, reporting “two homeless men” who appeared to be “actively on drugs” near the entrance of the building. She said she feared for the safety of her coworkers arriving to work.

    An officer arrived at 3:06 a.m. and approached Campos Rios, who was singing and yelling and began thrashing his body and a nylon belt with a metal buckle in a “wild manner,” according to the report.

    The officer called for backup, and Jarvis soon arrived at the scene, where he also saw Campos Rios acting erratically and assumed he was under the influence of narcotics, according to the report. The officer told Campos Rios to drop the belt and sit on the curb, but he refused.

    The officers repeatedly asked Campos Rios to comply with their orders. He ignored them and continued throwing the belt around, cursing at officers, singing, yelling and hitting a pillar with his hands. Aside from the belt, the report does not detail any weapon he possessed.

    At 3:13 a.m., Jarvis loaded six 12-gauge drag-stabilized beanbag rounds into a Remington Model 870 Police Magnum shotgun and positioned himself around 30 feet away from Campos Rios, the report states. Officers are trained that that device can be deployed 20 to 100 feet from a target, the report states.

    The initial responding officer activated his taser, so that it created a warning noise. Campos Rios then approached him, cursing, and slammed the belt on the ground in his direction. The officer announced that he would fire his taser, and then he fired the taser, which appeared to strike Campos Rios and only agitate him further.

    Jarvis then yelled, “Bean bag! Bean bag!” and fired one round at Campos Rios, striking him in the arm. Campos Rios walked away from the first officer and toward the McDonald’s entrance, and Jarvis discharged his weapon four more times, with the final round striking Campos Rios in the chest.

    Paramedics began performing lifesaving measures at 3:22 a.m.; Campos Rios was pronounced dead at UC Irvine Medical Center at 3:55 a.m. His cause of death was ruled a penetrating chest injury to the heart and the accumulation of blood between the chest and lungs.

    The report states that Jarvis’ use of force was justified because “substantial reliable evidence supports the conclusion that at the time of the shooting, Corporal Jarvis reasonably feared for his life and the lives of others.”

    It is rare, but not unheard of, for less-lethal munitions to cause death.

    An analysis of nearly 2,000 people wounded by rubber bullets, beanbag rounds and other projectiles used by law enforcement from 1990 to 2017 found that 15% of people were permanently disabled and 3% died. Of the 53 people who died, 26 suffered head and neck trauma, and 15 suffered chest and abdominal trauma.

    The study explains that the muzzle velocity of less-lethal munitions is similar to that of lethal ammunition and that severe injuries are typically caused by rounds that strike vital organs from a close range. To prevent severe injury, officers are trained to fire from what have been deemed safe distances.

    “Safe shooting distances are not well validated, however, and are highly variable among weapons, countries and manufacturers,” the study states, adding that, in practice, less-lethal munitions may be deployed “from distances much closer than deemed safe.”

    In 2021, Gov. Newsom signed Assembly Bill 48 into law, which placed restrictions around the use of less-lethal weapons, including that they cannot be aimed at the head, neck or any other vital organs.

    Recent pro-immigration protests in Los Angeles have revived the debate around the use of less-lethals as demonstrators and members of the media have been injured by beanbag rounds and 40 mm projectiles, resulting in dozens of lawsuits.

    Davis, the civil rights attorney, said that in his experience prosecuting use-of-force cases it is extremely rare for less-lethal munitions to cause death.

    “It sounds to me like there was something defective with the weapon,” he said.

    When asked about possible defects, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said their job was to “determine whether any of the officers violated any criminal laws and did not include a review of any issues of civil liability or whether or not department policy was followed.” The Fullerton Police Department did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

    [ad_2]

    Clara Harter

    Source link

  • ‘Cowboy’ lassos loose cow in Florida

    [ad_1]

    When a cow started running loose through Port Orange, Florida, Lewis Perry handled it the only way he knew how: he saddled up his horse and rode into town.Before the roundup came the routine.Perry prepared Tweety, his 8-year-old roping horse, for a job no one expected, capturing a stray cow wandering near homes and busy streets Thursday. “I called around to some buddies of mine, and nobody was really available,” Perry said. “So I told my wife, I said, ‘I think we’ve got to do something about this.’” Once he located the cow, he knew there was little room for error.“If you go to rope a cow that is loose like that, you generally only get one try at it,” Perry said. “If you rope it and miss, then she or he will bolt, and you have to race and chase them down. In suburbs like that, it can get really dangerous.” With homes, traffic, and onlookers nearby, a missed throw could have made the situation worse.But Perry made the catch.With assistance from officers and neighbors, he guided the cow safely into a trailer without injuries or damage.He credited Tweety for staying calm despite the unusual surroundings, including crowds gathering to watch.“It didn’t bother him at all,” Perry said. “It bothered me more than him, probably.”Where the cow came from remains unclear.“That one had no markings at all, which is weird,” Perry said. “We use ear tags on all of our cattle.”For now, Perry is keeping the cow while trying to identify its owner.In the meantime, he’s praising the horse that helped bring the situation under control.“He’s just a well-mannered horse that does a very good job for me,” Perry said. “I’m very, very lucky to own him.”

    When a cow started running loose through Port Orange, Florida, Lewis Perry handled it the only way he knew how: he saddled up his horse and rode into town.

    Before the roundup came the routine.

    Perry prepared Tweety, his 8-year-old roping horse, for a job no one expected, capturing a stray cow wandering near homes and busy streets Thursday.

    “I called around to some buddies of mine, and nobody was really available,” Perry said. “So I told my wife, I said, ‘I think we’ve got to do something about this.’”

    Once he located the cow, he knew there was little room for error.

    “If you go to rope a cow that is loose like that, you generally only get one try at it,” Perry said. “If you rope it and miss, then she or he will bolt, and you have to race and chase them down. In suburbs like that, it can get really dangerous.”

    With homes, traffic, and onlookers nearby, a missed throw could have made the situation worse.

    But Perry made the catch.

    With assistance from officers and neighbors, he guided the cow safely into a trailer without injuries or damage.

    He credited Tweety for staying calm despite the unusual surroundings, including crowds gathering to watch.

    “It didn’t bother him at all,” Perry said. “It bothered me more than him, probably.”

    Where the cow came from remains unclear.

    “That one had no markings at all, which is weird,” Perry said. “We use ear tags on all of our cattle.”

    For now, Perry is keeping the cow while trying to identify its owner.

    In the meantime, he’s praising the horse that helped bring the situation under control.

    “He’s just a well-mannered horse that does a very good job for me,” Perry said. “I’m very, very lucky to own him.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • South Carolina university on lockdown after fatal shooting, officials say

    [ad_1]

    South Carolina State University officials say the campus is on lockdown following a shooting that left two people dead and one person injured.The lockdown began on Thursday around 9:15 p.m. when a shooting was reported in an apartment at the Hugine Suites student residential complex. The State Law Enforcement Division, SLED, is on site and actively investigating. While the campus remains on lockdown, officers with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety and the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office are patrolling along with the university’s Department of Public Safety.University officials have yet to confirm the victims’ identities or the condition of the wounded person. All classes have been canceled for Friday, and the university says counselors are available to students.

    South Carolina State University officials say the campus is on lockdown following a shooting that left two people dead and one person injured.

    The lockdown began on Thursday around 9:15 p.m. when a shooting was reported in an apartment at the Hugine Suites student residential complex.

    The State Law Enforcement Division, SLED, is on site and actively investigating.

    While the campus remains on lockdown, officers with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety and the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office are patrolling along with the university’s Department of Public Safety.

    University officials have yet to confirm the victims’ identities or the condition of the wounded person.

    All classes have been canceled for Friday, and the university says counselors are available to students.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • South Carolina university on lockdown after fatal shooting, officials say

    [ad_1]

    South Carolina State University officials say the campus is on lockdown following a shooting that left two people dead and one person injured.The lockdown began on Thursday around 9:15 p.m. when a shooting was reported in an apartment at the Hugine Suites student residential complex. The State Law Enforcement Division, SLED, is on site and actively investigating. While the campus remains on lockdown, officers with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety and the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office are patrolling along with the university’s Department of Public Safety.University officials have yet to confirm the victims’ identities or the condition of the wounded person. All classes have been canceled for Friday, and the university says counselors are available to students.

    South Carolina State University officials say the campus is on lockdown following a shooting that left two people dead and one person injured.

    The lockdown began on Thursday around 9:15 p.m. when a shooting was reported in an apartment at the Hugine Suites student residential complex.

    The State Law Enforcement Division, SLED, is on site and actively investigating.

    While the campus remains on lockdown, officers with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety and the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office are patrolling along with the university’s Department of Public Safety.

    University officials have yet to confirm the victims’ identities or the condition of the wounded person.

    All classes have been canceled for Friday, and the university says counselors are available to students.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • President Trump’s Border Czar Pulling 700 Immigration Officers Out Of Minnesota Immediately – KXL

    [ad_1]

    A federal immigration officer looks through a window of a home Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Maplewood, Minn. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump’s border czar says he is reducing the number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota after state and local officials agreed to turn over arrested immigrants.

    Tom Homan says about 700 federal officers will be immediately withdrawn from the operation in Minnesota.

    That’s about a quarter of the federal officers currently deployed in the state.

    But he says the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota isn’t ending.

    Homan didn’t give a timeline of when that might happen following weeks of confrontations in Minnesota’s Twin Cities and two deadly shootings by federal officers.

    More about:

    [ad_2]

    Grant McHill

    Source link

  • LAPD’s relationship with federal authorities under scrutiny as criticism of ICE grows

    [ad_1]

    After the recent shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, some police chiefs have joined the mounting criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration blitz.

    One voice missing from the fray: LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.

    This week, the chief reiterated that the department has a close working relationship with federal law enforcement, and said he would not order his officers to enforce a new state law — currently being challenged as unconstitutional — that prohibits the use of face coverings by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents.

    Top police brass nationwide rarely criticize their federal partners, relying on collaboration to investigate gangs, extremist groups and other major criminals — while also counting on millions in funding from Washington each year.

    McDonnell and the LAPD have found themselves in an especially tough position, longtime department observers say. The city has been roiled by immigration raids and protests, and local leaders, including Mayor Karen Bass, have blasted the White House. But with the World Cup and Olympics coming soon — events that will require coordination with the feds — the chief has been choosing his words carefully.

    Over the past year, McDonnell has fallen back on the message that the LAPD has a long-standing policy of not getting involved in civil immigration enforcement. Unlike his counterparts in Minneapolis, Portland and Philadelphia, he has largely avoided public comment on the tactics used by federal agents, saving his strongest criticism for protesters accused of vandalism or violence.

    In a radio interview last spring, the chief said that “it’s critical that in a city as big, a city that’s as big a target for terrorism as Los Angeles, that we have a very close working relationship with federal, state and local partners.” He boasted that the LAPD had “best relationship in the nation in that regard.”

    McDonnell stood beside FBI Director Kash Patel on an airport tarmac last week to announce the capture of a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder accused of trafficking tons of cocaine through Los Angeles. Then, at a news conference Thursday in which city officials touted historically low homicide totals, McDonnell said LAPD officials were as “disturbed” as everyone else by events in other parts of the country, alluding to Pretti’s shooting without mentioning him by name. He said the department would continue to work closely with federal agencies on non-immigration matters.

    Explaining his stance on not enforcing the mask ban, McDonnell said he wouldn’t risk asking his officers to approach “another armed agency creating conflict for something that” amounted to a misdemeanor offense.

    “It’s not a good policy decision and it wasn’t well thought out in my opinion,” he said.

    Elsewhere, law enforcement leaders, civil rights advocates and other legal experts have decried how ICE agents and other federal officers have been flouting best practices when making street arrests, conducting crowd control and maintaining public safety amid mass protests.

    After a shooting by agents of two people being sought for arrest in Portland, Ore., in mid-January, the city’s chief of police gave a tearful news conference saying he had sought to understand Latino residents “through your voices, your concern, your fear, your anger.”

    Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal set off a social media firestorm after she referred to ICE agents as “made-up, fake, wannabe law enforcement.”

    In Minneapolis, where the Trump administration has deployed 3,000 federal agents, police Chief Brian O’Hara reportedly warned his officers in private that they would lose their jobs if they failed to intervene when federal agents use force. And in a news conference this week, New Orleans’ police superintendent questioned ICE’s arrest of one of the agency’s recruits.

    The second-guessing has also spread to smaller cities like Helena, Mont., whose city’s police chief pulled his officers out of a regional drug task force over its decision to collaborate with U.S. Border Patrol agents.

    Over the weekend, the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, the nation’s largest and most influential police chief group, called on the White House to convene local, state and federal law enforcement partners for “policy-level discussions aimed at identifying a constructive path forward.”

    McDonnell’s backers argue that the role of chief is apolitical, though many of his predecessors became national voices that shaped public safety policy. Speaking out, the chief’s supporters say, risks inviting backlash from the White House and could also affect the long pipeline of federal money the department relies on, for instance, to help fund de-escalation training for officers.

    Assemblyman Mark González (D-Los Angeles) was among those who opposed McDonnell over his willingness to work with ICE while serving as Los Angeles County sheriff, but said he now considers him a “great partner” who has supported recent anti-crime legislation.

    So he said was disappointed by McDonnell’s unwillingness to call out racial profiling and excessive force by federal agents in Minneapolis and elsewhere.

    “We have to trust in a chief who is able to say ICE engaging and detaining 5-year-old kids and detaining flower vendors is not what this system was set up to do,” said González, the Assembly’s majority whip. “It would help when you’d have law enforcement back up a community that they serve.”

    Inside the LAPD, top officials have supported McDonnell’s balancing act, suggesting that promises by officials in other cities to detain ICE agents rang hollow.

    “Have you seen them arrest any? No,” said Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton.

    LAPD officers serve on nearly three dozen task forces with federal officials, where they share information and resources to track down criminals, said Hamilton, the department’s chief of detectives. Cooperating with federal partners is essential to tasks including combating “human trafficking on Figueroa” and dismantling international theft rings, he said. As part of these investigations, both sides pool intelligence — arrangements that some privacy rights groups warn are now being exploited in the government’s immigration crackdown.

    Hamilton said that “there’s nothing occurring right now that’s going to affect our relationship with the federal government across the board.”

    Art Acevedo, a former chief in Houston and Miami, said that for any big-city chief, taking an official position on an issue as divisive as immigration can be complicated.

    Being seen as coming out against President Trump comes with “some political risks,” he said.

    But chiefs in immigrant-rich cities like Houston and L.A. must weigh that against the potentially irreparable damage to community trust from failing to condemn the recent raids, he said.

    “When you don’t speak out, the old adage that silence is deafening is absolutely true. You end up losing the public and you end up putting your own people at risk,” he said. “The truth is that when you are police chief you have a bully pulpit, and what you say or fail to say is important.”

    Those with experience on the federal side of the issue said it cuts both ways.

    John Sandweg, the former director of ICE under President Obama, said that federal authorities need local cops and the public to feed them info and support operations, but the immigration agency’s “zero tolerance” approach was putting such cooperation “in jeopardy.”

    “Ideally, in a perfect world, ICE is able to work within immigrant communities to identify the really bad actors,” he said. “But when you have this zero tolerance, when the quantity of arrests matters far more than the quality of arrests, you eliminate any ability to have that cooperation.”

    Times staff writers Brittny Mejia, Ruben Vives and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

    [ad_2]

    Libor Jany

    Source link

  • Vancouver Police Chief Warns Public Is Getting Too Close And Interfering With Police – KXL

    [ad_1]

    Courtesy Vancouver Police Department.

    VANCOUVER, WA – Vancouver police are urging members of the public to keep their distance during active police operations, citing safety concerns for both officers and bystanders.

    In a video posted to social media, Vancouver Police Chief Troy Price addressed recent incidents in which people approached or interfered with specialty unit responses. Price said those actions can create dangerous situations, distract officers, and slow critical police work.

    The chief emphasized that officers often respond to high-risk situations that require focus and space to operate safely. He urged community members to follow lawful directions from officers and remain at a safe distance when police activity is underway.

    Police say cooperation from the public helps ensure incidents are handled quickly, safely, and without unnecessary risk. The department encourages anyone with concerns about police activity to raise them through appropriate channels rather than at active scenes.

    More about:

    [ad_2]

    Tim Lantz

    Source link

  • Police search for suspect in the shooting of an Indiana judge and his wife

    [ad_1]

    An Indiana state court judge and his wife were in stable condition Monday as authorities continued to search for suspects who shot the couple the day before at their Lafayette home.Steven Meyer, a Tippecanoe Superior Court judge, suffered an injury to his arm, and his wife, Kimberly Meyer, had a hip injury from the attack, authorities said.Officers responded Sunday afternoon to a report of a shooting in the residential area about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis to find the couple injured. They were treated for their wounds, and officers recovered shell casings from the scene.Lafayette Police said the investigation remains active and involves local, state and federal agencies. They have not released a motive or suspect description.Mayor Tony Roswarski assured the community that every available resource was being used to apprehend the person or people responsible for what he called “this senseless, unacceptable act of violence.”Kimberly Meyer said in a statement Monday that she has “great confidence” in investigators and is grateful to the officers and medical professionals who helped her and her husband.The shooting had other Indiana judges worried for their safety, with state Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush urging them to “please remain vigilant in your own security.”“I worry about the safety of all our judges,” she wrote in a letter to the state’s judges. “As you work to peacefully resolve more than 1 million cases a year, you must not only feel safe, you must also be safe. Any violence against a judge or a judge’s family is completely unacceptable.”

    LAFAYETTE, Ind. —

    An Indiana state court judge and his wife were in stable condition Monday as authorities continued to search for suspects who shot the couple the day before at their Lafayette home.

    Steven Meyer, a Tippecanoe Superior Court judge, suffered an injury to his arm, and his wife, Kimberly Meyer, had a hip injury from the attack, authorities said.

    Officers responded Sunday afternoon to a report of a shooting in the residential area about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis to find the couple injured. They were treated for their wounds, and officers recovered shell casings from the scene.

    Lafayette Police said the investigation remains active and involves local, state and federal agencies. They have not released a motive or suspect description.

    Mayor Tony Roswarski assured the community that every available resource was being used to apprehend the person or people responsible for what he called “this senseless, unacceptable act of violence.”

    Kimberly Meyer said in a statement Monday that she has “great confidence” in investigators and is grateful to the officers and medical professionals who helped her and her husband.

    The shooting had other Indiana judges worried for their safety, with state Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush urging them to “please remain vigilant in your own security.”

    “I worry about the safety of all our judges,” she wrote in a letter to the state’s judges. “As you work to peacefully resolve more than 1 million cases a year, you must not only feel safe, you must also be safe. Any violence against a judge or a judge’s family is completely unacceptable.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • He fled Venezuela 20 years ago after defying Chávez. Now ICE wants to deport him

    [ad_1]

    Germán Rodolfo Varela López with his baby niece in his arms.

    Germán Rodolfo Varela López with his baby niece in his arms.

    Varela family.

    Germán Rodolfo Varela López was forced to flee Venezuela more than two decades ago after doing something that marked him for life: standing in public, in uniform, and denouncing President Hugo Chávez.

    Now, after 20 years of living quietly in the United States, the former Venezuelan National Guard lieutenant faces deportation — which his family says could cost him his life.

    Varela reported faithfully to U.S. immigration authorities, raised three children, built a business and stayed far from the politics that once forced him to flee his country. In 2005, a U.S. immigration judge ruled that returning him to Venezuela would likely result in torture or death, granting him protection under the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

    Today, Varela sits in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Tennessee, detained since November 2025 and facing possible deportation, perhamaybe not to Venezuela, but to Mexico. His family and fellow Venezuelan exiles warn that such a move could place him in grave danger.

    When judges grant protections under the Convention Against Torture, that typically prohibits deportation to the country where they could face danger. However, they can still be sent to third countries, lawyers told the Herald, and Mexico could eventually send Varela back to Venezuela.

    “This is not a technical immigration issue,” said José Antonio Colina, president of the Venezuelan exile group Veppex. “It’s about whether the United States will uphold the protection it already granted against torture.”

    A case rooted in dissent

    Varela’s story begins in one of the most turbulent chapters of Venezuela’s modern history.

    In 2002, he and Colina were young officers who joined the Plaza Altamira protests in Caracas, a rare public civic-military movement against Chávez. The officers accused the government of politicizing the armed forces and tolerating the presence of Colombian guerrilla groups and Cuban military personnel on Venezuelan soil.

    Germán Rodolfo Varela López when he was an active officer in Venezuela.
    Germán Rodolfo Varela López when he was an active officer in Venezuela. Varela family.

    By late 2003, both men were accused by the Chávez government of terrorism and faced arrest warrants and threats. On Dec. 19, 2003, they arrived at Miami International Airport and formally requested political asylum. They were detained at the Krome processing center near the Everglades, passed interviews showing they had credible fear of being persecuted if they were returned to their country — and then saw their cases against them in Venezuela escalate.

    The Venezuelan government accused them of attacks on the Spanish embassy and Colombian consulate in February 2003. It filed an extradition request. In the course of over a dozen hearings before a federal judge, the allegations were examined but never substantiated.

    In February 2005, their asylum petitions were denied, but the U.S. granted both men protections under the Convention Against Torture, finding that they would be tortured or killed if returned to Venezuela. After a hunger strike and further appeals, both were released in April 2006 under a high-control program for migrants who cannot be deported.

    Colina settled in Miami. Varela moved to Memphis.

    Two decades of compliance — then detention

    According to his brother, Carlos Varela, Germán complied with every immigration requirement for the next two decades, reporting first monthly, then quarterly, then annually. He never had a criminal record and cooperated with U.S. authorities. A Miami Herald search of public records found only traffic infractions over his two plus-decades in the U.S.. He paid a fine for failing to stop at a red light in Florida, records show, and a judge withheld convictions in two 2011 speeding cases in Illinois.

    That changed on Nov. 21, 2025, during what Carlos described as a routine immigration check-in in Tennessee. Varela was fitted with an ankle monitor and told to return the following week. When he did, ICE detained him, informing him that his Convention Against Torture protection could be reviewed.

    Over the following weeks, Varela was told he would be removed from the United States to a third country — with Mexico emerging as the likely destination.

    “From the first day, he said Mexico was the same as Venezuela,” Carlos said. “He told me, ‘I’m scared. I can’t sleep.’”

    Mexico can be dangerous

    On Friday, the first flight carrying deportees from the U.S. landed in Venezuela since U.S. forces captured leader stronman Nicolás Maduro. The United States had paused deportations to Venezuela for a little over a month. The Trump administration sent Venezuelans to Mexico instead as part of its aggressive mass deportation agenda that is expanding third-country deportations.

    READ MORE: In midst of tensions with Caracas, the U.S. has been deporting Venezuelans to Mexico

    Advocates supporting Venezuelan immigrants in Mexico, immigration attorneys in Miami, and Venezuelan dissidents in the United States emphasized that Mexico is not necessarily a safe third country for deportees.

    Venezuelans are being dropped off in parts of southern Mexico where there is a large presence of organized and violent crime, said activists on the ground, and where there are fewer legal resources to help them legalize their status.

    Varela could try to seek asylum in Mexico. But it’s also possible that Mexico could deport Varela and others fleeing political repression to Venezuela.

    And even if Varela were to remain in Mexico, Colina and other exiles argue that networks linked to the Venezuelan regime — including figures associated with the Cartel of the Suns and transnational gangs such as Tren de Aragua — operate with enough reach to endanger former military opponents there.

    Jose Antonio Colina, the founder of VEPPEX, a nonprofit made up of Venezuelans who were politically persecuted and now live in exile,
    Jose Antonio Colina, the founder of VEPPEX, a nonprofit made up of Venezuelans who were politically persecuted and now live in exile, Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com

    In a letter sent this month to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Colina urged immediate U.S. intervention, warning that deportations of CAT-protected Venezuelans to third countries like Mexico risk “chain refoulement” — indirect return to torture through intermediaries.

    “CAT explicitly prohibits removals where there is a substantial risk of torture, whether by government agents or with their acquiescence,” Colina wrote. “That protection applies globally, not only to Venezuela.”

    The letter highlights Varela’s case as nearly identical to Colina’s own: both entered the U.S. together in 2003, both were accused by the Chávez government of politically motivated crimes, and both were granted CAT protection after judges found a credible risk of torture.

    Varela, Colina noted, has since lived openly in the United States and even contributed as a security analyst to Spanish-language media, including CNN en Español — visibility that exiles say increases his risk.

    Appeal to Washington

    Colina’s letter asks Rubio to promote an immediate moratorium on deportations to third countries for Venezuelans with CAT deferrals, particularly former military officers, and to urgently review Varela’s detention, including possible release under supervision or bond.

    The appeal also cites Venezuela’s incomplete political transition: while Maduro has been captured and some Venezuelan political prisoners released, human rights groups such as Foro Penal report that hundreds of political and military detainees remain imprisoned in the South American nation, with repression continuing under figures like Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López. And though the United States removed Maduro, his second in command, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, is now at the helm of the Venezuelan government.

    “This is not a post-dictatorship environment,” Colina said in an interview. “The structures of persecution are still there.”

    Silence and fear

    Carlos Varela said the last time he heard from his brother was the day before officials interviewed him again. Germán sounded panicked. he said. Since then, there has been silence.

    Colina said detainees from Germán’s facility are often transferred during early-morning hours — frequently to Mexico — heightening fears that removal could already be under way.

    Compounding the concern are Varela’s health issues. He suffers from diabetes and hypertension, and his family says he has received inadequate medical care while detained. They have been unable to visit him or provide legal assistance. Shelter providers in Mexico who are receiving U.S. deportees say they have been overwhelmed by a wave of older immigrants who have chronic conditions, and they struggle to help them find care.

    A test of U.S. commitments

    Immigration experts say the case raises broader questions about the durability of protections granted under the Convention Against Torture.

    “CAT is supposed to be one of the strongest safeguards in U.S. immigration law,” said a former immigration attorney familiar with similar cases, who requested anonymity. “Reopening those cases decades later — and deporting people to third countries with known risks — undermines that protection.”

    Carlos Varela said that his brother believed the U.S. would honor his word and protect him from the government he stood up to over 20 years ago.

    “We’re asking it to do that now — before it’s too late.”

    Antonio Maria Delgado

    el Nuevo Herald

    Galardonado periodista con más de 30 años de experiencia, especializado en la cobertura de temas sobre Venezuela. Amante de la historia y la literatura.

    [ad_2]

    Antonio María Delgado,Syra Ortiz Blanes

    Source link

  • Longwood police officer shoots man at gas station after mental health call escalates

    [ad_1]

    A man was shot by police at a Longwood gas station after officers responded to a mental health call that escalated into a dangerous situation on Tuesday night. The Longwood Police Department responded to a convenience store at 1001 West State Road 434 around 9:11 p.m. after reports of an armed, suicidal man inside.Once police arrived, they attempted to de-escalate the situation by speaking with the man. However, police said he did not comply and kept his hands hidden inside his waistband. Police said the man then suddenly moved his hands in a way the officer believed was threatening, causing the officer to fire his weapon and strike the man.Officers immediately provided first aid until fire rescue arrived. The man was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. No officers were injured in the incident.The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent investigation, which is standard in cases like this. Longwood police said this remains an active investigation.

    LONGWOOD, Fla. —

    A man was shot by police at a Longwood gas station after officers responded to a mental health call that escalated into a dangerous situation on Tuesday night.

    The Longwood Police Department responded to a convenience store at 1001 West State Road 434 around 9:11 p.m. after reports of an armed, suicidal man inside.

    Once police arrived, they attempted to de-escalate the situation by speaking with the man.

    However, police said he did not comply and kept his hands hidden inside his waistband.

    Police said the man then suddenly moved his hands in a way the officer believed was threatening, causing the officer to fire his weapon and strike the man.

    Officers immediately provided first aid until fire rescue arrived. The man was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.

    No officers were injured in the incident.

    The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent investigation, which is standard in cases like this.

    Longwood police said this remains an active investigation.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Uber Eats delivery driver robbed, carjacked at gunpoint in South Carolina, police say

    [ad_1]

    An Uber Eats delivery driver was robbed at gunpoint and carjacked while trying to drop off someone’s food at an apartment complex in South Carolina, according to police.Officers with the Spartanburg Police Department were dispatched to an apartment complex in Spartanburg after receiving a report of an armed carjacking. The victim told officers that he was making an Uber Eats delivery when he was approached by a man who offered to help him find the apartment he was looking for. As the victim exited his vehicle, the suspect pulled out a handgun, placed it against the back of the victim’s head, and ordered him to get against the car. The suspect, identified as Ryan Maquese Bennett, went through the victim’s pockets and stole his wallet and its contents, according to the police report. Bennett is also accused of taking the victim’s cell phone and attempting to access a financial application, but returned the phone when he was unsuccessful. The suspect then entered the victim’s vehicle and fled the scene, according to the report. Police said the victim was not physically injured. The stolen vehicle was described as a burgundy four-door Nissan Altima with damage to the passenger-side door.Bennett has been charged with carjacking, armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Bennett was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center, where he is awaiting a bond hearing. Major Art Littlejohn said, “We encourage delivery drivers to trust their instincts, stay alert, and immediately contact 911 if they sense anything suspicious or unsafe.”

    SPARTANBURG, S.C. —

    An Uber Eats delivery driver was robbed at gunpoint and carjacked while trying to drop off someone’s food at an apartment complex in South Carolina, according to police.

    Officers with the Spartanburg Police Department were dispatched to an apartment complex in Spartanburg after receiving a report of an armed carjacking.

    The victim told officers that he was making an Uber Eats delivery when he was approached by a man who offered to help him find the apartment he was looking for. As the victim exited his vehicle, the suspect pulled out a handgun, placed it against the back of the victim’s head, and ordered him to get against the car.

    Spartanburg Police Department

    Ryan Maquese Bennett

    The suspect, identified as Ryan Maquese Bennett, went through the victim’s pockets and stole his wallet and its contents, according to the police report. Bennett is also accused of taking the victim’s cell phone and attempting to access a financial application, but returned the phone when he was unsuccessful. The suspect then entered the victim’s vehicle and fled the scene, according to the report.

    Police said the victim was not physically injured. The stolen vehicle was described as a burgundy four-door Nissan Altima with damage to the passenger-side door.

    Bennett has been charged with carjacking, armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

    Bennett was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center, where he is awaiting a bond hearing.

    Major Art Littlejohn said, “We encourage delivery drivers to trust their instincts, stay alert, and immediately contact 911 if they sense anything suspicious or unsafe.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Judge skeptical on ICE agents wearing masks in case that could have national implications

    [ad_1]

    A top Trump administration lawyer pressed a federal judge Wednesday to block a newly enacted California law that bans most law enforcement officers in the state from wearing masks, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

    Tiberius Davis, representing the U.S. Department of Justice, argued at a hearing in Los Angeles that the first-of-its-kind ban on police face coverings could unleash chaos across the country, and potentially land many ICE agents on the wrong side of the law it were allowed to take effect.

    “Why couldn’t California say every immigration officer needs to wear pink, so it’s super obvious who they are?” Davis told U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder. “The idea that all 50 states can regulate the conduct and uniforms of officers … flips the Constitution on its head.”

    The judge appeared skeptical.

    “Why can’t they perform their duties without a mask? They did that until 2025, did they not?” Snyder said. “How in the world do those who don’t mask manage to operate?”

    The administration first sued to block the new rules in November, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the No Secret Police Act and its companion provision, the No Vigilantes Act, into law. Together, The laws bar law enforcement officers from wearing masks and compel them to display identification “while conducting law enforcement operations in the Golden State.” Both offenses would be misdemeanors.

    Federal officials have vowed to defy the new rules, saying they are unconstitutional and put agents in danger. They have also decried an exception in the law for California state peace officers, arguing the carve out is discriminatory. The California Highway Patrol is among those exempted, while city and county agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, must comply.

    “These were clearly and purposefully targeted at the federal government,” Davis told the court Wednesday. “Federal officers face prosecution if they do not comply with California law, but California officers do not.”

    The hearing comes at a moment of acute public anger at the agency following the fatal shooting of American protester Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis — rage that has latched on to masks as a symbol of perceived lawlessness and impunity.

    “It’s obvious why these laws are in the public interest,” California Department of Justice lawyer Cameron Bell told the court Wednesday. “The state has had to bear the cost of the federal government’s actions. These are very real consequences.”

    She pointed to declarations from U.S. citizens who believed they were being abducted by criminals when confronted by masked immigration agents, including incidents where local police were called to respond.

    “I later learned that my mother and sister witnessed the incident and reported to the Los Angeles Police Department that I was kidnapped,” Angeleno Andrea Velez said in one such declaration. “Because of my mother’s call, LAPD showed up to the raid.”

    The administration argues the anti-mask law would put ICE agents and other federal immigration enforcement officers at risk of doxing and chill the “zealous enforcement of the law.”

    “The laws would recklessly endanger the lives of federal agents and their family members and compromise the operational effectiveness of federal law enforcement activities,” the government said in court filings.

    A U.S. Border Patrol agent on duty Aug. 14 outside the Japanese American National Museum, where Gov. Gavin Newsom was holding a news conference in downtown Los Angeles.

    (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

    Davis also told the court that ICE‘s current tactics were necessary in part because of laws across California and in much of the U.S. that limit police cooperation with ICE and bar immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, such as schools and courts.

    California contends its provisions are “modest” and aligned with past practice, and that the government’s evidence showing immigration enforcement would be harmed is thin.

    Bell challenged Department of Homeland Security statistics purporting to show an 8,000% increase in death threats against ICE agents and a 1,000% increase in assaults, saying the government has recently changed what qualifies as a “threat” and that agency claims have faced “significant credibility issues” in federal court.

    “Blowing a whistle to alert the community, that’s hardly something that increases threats,” Bell said.

    On the identification rule, Snyder appeared to agree.

    “One might argue that there’s serious harm to the government if agents’ anonymity is preserved,” she said.

    The fate of the mask law may hinge on the peace officer exemption.

    “Would your discrimination argument go away if the state changed legislation to apply to all officers?” Snyder asked.

    “I believe so,” Davis said.

    The ban was slated to come into force on Jan. 1, but is on hold while the case makes its way through the courts. If allowed to take effect, California would become the first state in the nation to block ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty.

    A ruling is expected as soon as this week.

    [ad_2]

    Sonja Sharp

    Source link

  • Officers investigating double shooting in Old North Sacramento, police say

    [ad_1]

    Sacramento officers are investigating a shooting with two victims in Old North Sacramento on Tuesday night, according to the police department. Officers responded to the report of a shooting just before 8:45 p.m. near the intersection of Evergreen Street and Arden Way.While officials confirmed there were two victims of the shooting, the extent of their injuries is unclear. A KCRA 3 crew at the scene saw a section of Evergreen Street shut down between Arden Way and Calvados Avenue amid the investigation. This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    Sacramento officers are investigating a shooting with two victims in Old North Sacramento on Tuesday night, according to the police department.

    Officers responded to the report of a shooting just before 8:45 p.m. near the intersection of Evergreen Street and Arden Way.

    While officials confirmed there were two victims of the shooting, the extent of their injuries is unclear.

    A KCRA 3 crew at the scene saw a section of Evergreen Street shut down between Arden Way and Calvados Avenue amid the investigation.

    This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.

    See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ‘Silence is complicity’: Protesters continue to rally for justice, understanding

    [ad_1]

    Nearly 1,000 protests across the country formed on Saturday following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis and the shooting of two people in Portland, Oregon, by federal officers enforcing a Trump administration immigration crackdown.Protests, vigils and other “ICE Out For Good” events have taken place the past few days. Some protesters were criticizing members of the Trump administration, like U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller.Video above: Candlelight vigil held to honor Renee GoodIn Savannah, Georgia, Kendra Clark said the protest is less about political parties and more about understanding each other.”When you start talking to people, what you realize is we all want the same things. And so that’s what we’re here to do today, is to bring people together and show that we’re all working together,” Clark said.Nearly 100 people joined the protest in Savannah Saturday.”Well, silence is complicity. And if I stay silent and sit still at home, then I’m asking for whatever’s going to happen,” protester Margie Standard said. “And with the way things are going, things aren’t happening very good.”Two were arrested in Savannah during the two-hour protest.Some people in Frankfurt, Kentucky, turned a different page for their protest. Nearly 160 protesters held a silent gathering to get their message across. Organizer Tona Barkley said the gathering was meant to give people a place to process and to show solidarity.“This, I think, is kind of a turning point and it’s very, very important for us to get out and to give people in our community a place in a way to express their grief and their outrage,” Barkley said.For some in attendance, the protest was also about what comes next for younger generations. Susan Goddard said her grandson has already noticed the impact in his classroom.“I asked him, when all that went down, you know, are there people at your school that not showing up? And he said, yes. And he doesn’t understand and it’s upsetting. He wanted to know why,” Goddard said.Things were a bit more rowdy in Florida as a 65-year-old Boca Raton man is facing two battery charges after an anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs protest became heated at an intersection west of Boca Raton on Saturday morning.Video below: Protesters physically confronted in FloridaThomas Landry was arrested Saturday morning, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.Louis Garcia, of Boynton Beach, who was wearing a “Firefighters for Biden/Harris” shirt, said there were about 200 protesters at the intersection, but he chose to go to another corner where there weren’t other people.”I had my back turned facing the eastbound traffic,” said Garcia, noting he was with two female protesters. “I was holding a large American flag and an impeach Trump sign.”All of a sudden, I heard a scream. He knocked the impeach Trump sign, knocked down a young woman.”This guy was coming up behind me, very cowardly. Punched me in the chest with closed fist. I was startled and told to back up. He kept moving forward. Went to swing at head and knocked off my helmet,” Garcia said.PBSO, which was nearby, was contacted and Landry was arrested on suspicion of battery of Garcia and a woman.Garcia said he didn’t sustain any injuries.Video below: Boston protesters rally for second day as new details surface in deadly Minnesota ICE shootingTwo rallies were held in Boston Saturday.Demonstrators demanded that Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and other lawmakers sever all ties between state and local law enforcement and ICE, end the alleged immigration-to-incarceration pipeline, and help families impacted by ICE detentions.”An attack on a community member is an attack on all of us,” An Immigrant Justice Network statement read. “We keep each other safe — and we will continue to show up together until ICE is out of our communities.”The group said they were there to mourn those killed by immigration enforcement and to demand an end to ICE operations and local collaboration across the state.Boston police did not report any arrests at either protest.Things turned violent in Minnesota Friday night.A protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about 1,000 people turned violent as demonstrators threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Saturday. One officer suffered minor injuries after being struck with a piece of ice, O’Hara said. Twenty-nine people were cited and released, he said.Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who cause damage to property or put others in danger will be arrested. He faulted “agitators that are trying to rile up large crowds.””This is what Donald Trump wants,” Frey said of the president who has demanded massive immigration enforcement efforts in several U.S. cities. “He wants us to take the bait.”Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz echoed the call for peace.”Trump sent thousands of armed federal officers into our state, and it took just one day for them to kill someone,” Walz posted on social media. “Now he wants nothing more than to see chaos distract from that horrific action. Don’t give him what he wants.”

    Nearly 1,000 protests across the country formed on Saturday following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis and the shooting of two people in Portland, Oregon, by federal officers enforcing a Trump administration immigration crackdown.

    Protests, vigils and other “ICE Out For Good” events have taken place the past few days.

    Some protesters were criticizing members of the Trump administration, like U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller.

    Video above: Candlelight vigil held to honor Renee Good

    In Savannah, Georgia, Kendra Clark said the protest is less about political parties and more about understanding each other.

    “When you start talking to people, what you realize is we all want the same things. And so that’s what we’re here to do today, is to bring people together and show that we’re all working together,” Clark said.

    Nearly 100 people joined the protest in Savannah Saturday.

    “Well, silence is complicity. And if I stay silent and sit still at home, then I’m asking for whatever’s going to happen,” protester Margie Standard said. “And with the way things are going, things aren’t happening very good.”

    Two were arrested in Savannah during the two-hour protest.

    Some people in Frankfurt, Kentucky, turned a different page for their protest. Nearly 160 protesters held a silent gathering to get their message across.

    Organizer Tona Barkley said the gathering was meant to give people a place to process and to show solidarity.

    “This, I think, is kind of a turning point and it’s very, very important for us to get out and to give people in our community a place in a way to express their grief and their outrage,” Barkley said.

    For some in attendance, the protest was also about what comes next for younger generations. Susan Goddard said her grandson has already noticed the impact in his classroom.

    “I asked him, when all that went down, you know, are there people at your school that not showing up? And he said, yes. And he doesn’t understand and it’s upsetting. He wanted to know why,” Goddard said.

    Things were a bit more rowdy in Florida as a 65-year-old Boca Raton man is facing two battery charges after an anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs protest became heated at an intersection west of Boca Raton on Saturday morning.

    Video below: Protesters physically confronted in Florida

    Thomas Landry was arrested Saturday morning, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.

    Louis Garcia, of Boynton Beach, who was wearing a “Firefighters for Biden/Harris” shirt, said there were about 200 protesters at the intersection, but he chose to go to another corner where there weren’t other people.

    “I had my back turned facing the eastbound traffic,” said Garcia, noting he was with two female protesters. “I was holding a large American flag and an impeach Trump sign.

    “All of a sudden, I heard a scream. He knocked the impeach Trump sign, knocked down a young woman.

    “This guy was coming up behind me, very cowardly. Punched me in the chest with closed fist. I was startled and told to back up. He kept moving forward. Went to swing at head and knocked off my helmet,” Garcia said.

    PBSO, which was nearby, was contacted and Landry was arrested on suspicion of battery of Garcia and a woman.

    Garcia said he didn’t sustain any injuries.

    Video below: Boston protesters rally for second day as new details surface in deadly Minnesota ICE shooting

    Two rallies were held in Boston Saturday.

    Demonstrators demanded that Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and other lawmakers sever all ties between state and local law enforcement and ICE, end the alleged immigration-to-incarceration pipeline, and help families impacted by ICE detentions.

    “An attack on a community member is an attack on all of us,” An Immigrant Justice Network statement read. “We keep each other safe — and we will continue to show up together until ICE is out of our communities.”

    The group said they were there to mourn those killed by immigration enforcement and to demand an end to ICE operations and local collaboration across the state.

    Boston police did not report any arrests at either protest.

    Things turned violent in Minnesota Friday night.

    A protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about 1,000 people turned violent as demonstrators threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Saturday. One officer suffered minor injuries after being struck with a piece of ice, O’Hara said. Twenty-nine people were cited and released, he said.

    Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who cause damage to property or put others in danger will be arrested. He faulted “agitators that are trying to rile up large crowds.”

    “This is what Donald Trump wants,” Frey said of the president who has demanded massive immigration enforcement efforts in several U.S. cities. “He wants us to take the bait.”

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz echoed the call for peace.

    “Trump sent thousands of armed federal officers into our state, and it took just one day for them to kill someone,” Walz posted on social media. “Now he wants nothing more than to see chaos distract from that horrific action. Don’t give him what he wants.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Protests against ICE planned across the US after shootings in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon

    [ad_1]

    Protesters against immigration enforcement actions took to the streets in cities and towns across the country on Saturday after a federal officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis and another shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.Video above: Protesters and counterprotesters clash in Minneapolis day after ICE shootingThe demonstrations come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pushes forward in the Twin Cities with what it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation. President Donald Trump’s administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense against drivers who “weaponized” their vehicles to attack officers. Steven Eubanks, 51, said he felt compelled to get out of his comfort zone and attend a Saturday protest in Durham, North Carolina, because of what he called the “horrifying” killing in Minneapolis.”We can’t allow it,” Eubanks said. “We have to stand up.”Video below: Protests intensify after ICE shooting of Renee GoodIndivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration, said hundreds of protests were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states. Many were dubbed “ICE Out for Good” using the acronym for the federal agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Indivisible and its local chapters organized protests in all 50 states last year.In Minneapolis, a coalition of migrant rights groups called for a demonstration at Powderhorn Park, a large green space about half a mile from the residential neighborhood where 37-year-old Renee Good was shot on Wednesday. They said the rally and march would celebrate Good’s life and call for an “end to deadly terror on our streets.”Protests held in the neighborhood have so far been largely peaceful, in contrast to the violence that hit Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Near the airport, some confrontations erupted on Thursday and Friday between smaller groups of protesters and officers guarding the federal building used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown. On Friday night, a protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about 1,000 people turned violent as people threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference Saturday. One officer suffered minor injuries after being struck with a piece of ice, O’Hara said. Twenty-nine people were cited and released, he said.Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who cause damage to property or put others in danger will be arrested.The Trump administration has been surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More than 2,000 officers were taking part. Some officers moved in after abruptly pulling out of Louisiana, where they were part of another operation that started last month and was expected to last until February. Associated Press writer Allen Breed contributed to this report from Durham, North Carolina.

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    Protesters against immigration enforcement actions took to the streets in cities and towns across the country on Saturday after a federal officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis and another shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.

    Video above: Protesters and counterprotesters clash in Minneapolis day after ICE shooting

    The demonstrations come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pushes forward in the Twin Cities with what it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation. President Donald Trump’s administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense against drivers who “weaponized” their vehicles to attack officers.

    Steven Eubanks, 51, said he felt compelled to get out of his comfort zone and attend a Saturday protest in Durham, North Carolina, because of what he called the “horrifying” killing in Minneapolis.

    “We can’t allow it,” Eubanks said. “We have to stand up.”

    Video below: Protests intensify after ICE shooting of Renee Good

    Indivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration, said hundreds of protests were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states. Many were dubbed “ICE Out for Good” using the acronym for the federal agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Indivisible and its local chapters organized protests in all 50 states last year.

    In Minneapolis, a coalition of migrant rights groups called for a demonstration at Powderhorn Park, a large green space about half a mile from the residential neighborhood where 37-year-old Renee Good was shot on Wednesday. They said the rally and march would celebrate Good’s life and call for an “end to deadly terror on our streets.”

    Protests held in the neighborhood have so far been largely peaceful, in contrast to the violence that hit Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Near the airport, some confrontations erupted on Thursday and Friday between smaller groups of protesters and officers guarding the federal building used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown.

    NurPhoto

    In St. Paul, Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz and First Lady Gwen Walz join a moment of silence with clergy and demonstrators at the Minnesota State Capitol during a vigil urging accountability and compassion after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman this week.

    On Friday night, a protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about 1,000 people turned violent as people threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference Saturday. One officer suffered minor injuries after being struck with a piece of ice, O’Hara said. Twenty-nine people were cited and released, he said.

    Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who cause damage to property or put others in danger will be arrested.

    The Trump administration has been surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More than 2,000 officers were taking part.

    Some officers moved in after abruptly pulling out of Louisiana, where they were part of another operation that started last month and was expected to last until February.

    Associated Press writer Allen Breed contributed to this report from Durham, North Carolina.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Graphic: New video shows confrontation between ICE officer, Renee Good before fatal shooting

    [ad_1]

    A Minnesota prosecutor on Friday called on the public to share with investigators any recordings and evidence connected to the fatal shooting of Renee Good as a new video emerged showing the final moments of her encounter with an immigration officer.Warning: The video above may be graphic to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.The Minneapolis killing and a separate shooting in Portland, Oregon, a day later by the Border Patrol have set off protests in multiple cities and denunciations of immigration enforcement tactics by the U.S. government. The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents.The reaction to the shooting has largely been focused on witness cellphone video of the encounter. A new, 47-second video that was published online by a Minnesota-based conservative news site, Alpha News, and later reposted on social media by the Department of Homeland Security shows the shooting from the perspective of ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who fired the shots.Video below: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds press conference FridaySirens blaring in the background, he approaches Good’s vehicle in the middle of the road while apparently filming on his cellphone. At the same time, Good’s wife also was recording the encounter and can be seen walking around the vehicle and approaching the officer. A series of exchanges occurred:”That’s fine, I’m not mad at you,” Good says as the officer passes by her door. She has one hand on the steering wheel and the other outside the open driver side window.”U.S. citizen, former f—ing veteran,” says her wife, standing outside the passenger side of the SUV holding up her phone. “You wanna come at us, you wanna come at us, I say go get yourself some lunch big boy.”Other officers at the scene are approaching the driver’s side of the car at about the same time and one says: “Get out of the car, get out of the f—ing car.” Good reverses briefly, then turns the steering wheel toward the passenger side as she drives ahead and Ross opens fire.The camera becomes unsteady and points toward the sky and then returns to the street view showing Good’s SUV careening away.”F—— b—,” someone at the scene says.A crashing sound is heard as Good’s vehicle smashes into others parked on the street.Federal agencies have encouraged officers to document encounters in which people may attempt to interfere with enforcement actions, but policing experts have cautioned that recording on a handheld device can complicate already volatile situations by occupying an officer’s hands and narrowing focus at moments when rapid decision-making is required.Under an ICE policy directive, officers and agents are expected to activate body-worn cameras at the start of enforcement activities and to record throughout interactions, and footage must be kept for review in serious incidents such as deaths or use-of-force cases. The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to questions about whether the officer who opened fire or any of the others who were on the scene were wearing body cameras.Homeland Security says video shows self-defenseVice President JD Vance and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in posts on X that the new video backs their contention that the officer fired in self-defense.“Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn’t hit by a car, wasn’t being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman,” Vance said. “The reality is that his life was endangered and he fired in self defense.”Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has said any self-defense argument is “garbage.”Policing experts said the video didn’t change their thoughts on the use-of-force but did raise additional questions about the officer’s training.“Now that we can see he’s holding a gun in one hand and a cellphone in the other filming, I want to see the officer training that permits that,” said Geoff Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina.The video demonstrates that the officers didn’t perceive Good to be a threat, said John P. Gross, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School who has written extensively about officers shooting at moving vehicles.“If you are an officer who views this woman as a threat, you don’t have one hand on a cellphone. You don’t walk around this supposed weapon, casually filming,” Gross said. Attempts to reach Ross at phone numbers and email addresses associated with him were not successful. Prosecutor asks for video and evidenceMeanwhile, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, she is concerned by the Trump administration’s decision to bar state and local agencies from playing any role in the investigation into Good’s killing.She also said the officer who shot Good in the head does not have complete legal immunity, as Vice President JD Vance declared.Video above: VP Vance addresses, answers questions on ICE shooting in Minneapolis”We do have jurisdiction to make this decision with what happened in this case,” Moriarty said at a news conference. “It does not matter that it was a federal law enforcement agent.”Moriarty said her office would post a link for the public to submit footage of the shooting, even though she acknowledged that she wasn’t sure what legal outcome submissions might produce.Good’s wife, Becca Good, released a statement to Minnesota Public Radio on Friday saying, “kindness radiated out of her.””On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns,” Becca Good said.”I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him,” she wrote.The reaction to Good’s shooting was immediate in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of protesters converging on the shooting scene and the school district canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution and offering an online option through Feb. 12.On Friday, protesters were outside a federal facility serving as a hub for the immigration crackdown that began Tuesday in Minneapolis and St. Paul. That evening, hundreds protested outside a hotel in downtown Minneapolis, banging on pots and drums and carrying signs that said, “ICE Out” and “Don’t Shoot.”Video below: Minnesota law enforcement blocked from federal investigation into deadly ICE shooting Shooting in PortlandThe Portland shooting happened outside a hospital Thursday. A federal border officer shot and wounded a man and woman in a vehicle, identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Venezuela nationals Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras. Police said they were in stable condition Friday after surgery, with DHS saying Nico Moncada was taken into FBI custodyDHS defended the actions of its officers in Portland, saying the shooting occurred after the driver with alleged gang ties tried to “weaponize” his vehicle to hit them. It said no officers were injured.Portland Police Chief Bob Day confirmed that the two people shot had “some nexus” to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. Day said they came to the attention of police during an investigation of a July shooting believed to have been carried out by gang members, but they were not identified as suspects.The chief said any gang affiliation did not necessarily justify the shooting by U.S. Border Patrol. The Oregon Department of Justice said it would investigate.The biggest crackdown yetThe Minneapolis shooting happened on the second day of the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities, which Homeland Security said is the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. More than 2,000 officers are taking part and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they have made more than 1,500 arrests.The government is also shifting immigration officers to Minneapolis from sweeps in Louisiana, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. This represents a pivot, as the Louisiana crackdown that began in December had been expected to last into February.Good’s death — at least the fifth tied to immigration sweeps since President Donald Trump took office — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, with protests planned for this weekend, according to Indivisible, a group formed to resist the Trump administration.A deadly encounter seen from multiple anglesNoem, Trump and others in his administration have repeatedly characterized the Minneapolis shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.Several bystanders captured video of Good’s killing, which happened in a neighborhood south of downtown. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said any self-defense argument is “garbage.”The federal agent who fatally shot Good is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE, according to records obtained by AP.Noem has not publicly named him, but a Homeland Security spokesperson said her description of his injuries last summer refers to an incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, in which court documents identify him as Ross.Ross got his arm stuck in the window of a vehicle whose driver was fleeing arrest on an immigration violation. Ross was dragged and fired his Taser. A jury found the driver guilty of assault. ___Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski and Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis; Ed White in Detroit; Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas; Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma; Michael Biesecker in Washington; Jim Mustian and Safiyah Riddle in New York; Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    A Minnesota prosecutor on Friday called on the public to share with investigators any recordings and evidence connected to the fatal shooting of Renee Good as a new video emerged showing the final moments of her encounter with an immigration officer.

    Warning: The video above may be graphic to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

    The Minneapolis killing and a separate shooting in Portland, Oregon, a day later by the Border Patrol have set off protests in multiple cities and denunciations of immigration enforcement tactics by the U.S. government. The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents.

    The reaction to the shooting has largely been focused on witness cellphone video of the encounter. A new, 47-second video that was published online by a Minnesota-based conservative news site, Alpha News, and later reposted on social media by the Department of Homeland Security shows the shooting from the perspective of ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who fired the shots.

    Video below: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds press conference Friday

    Sirens blaring in the background, he approaches Good’s vehicle in the middle of the road while apparently filming on his cellphone. At the same time, Good’s wife also was recording the encounter and can be seen walking around the vehicle and approaching the officer. A series of exchanges occurred:

    “That’s fine, I’m not mad at you,” Good says as the officer passes by her door. She has one hand on the steering wheel and the other outside the open driver side window.

    “U.S. citizen, former f—ing veteran,” says her wife, standing outside the passenger side of the SUV holding up her phone. “You wanna come at us, you wanna come at us, I say go get yourself some lunch big boy.”

    Other officers at the scene are approaching the driver’s side of the car at about the same time and one says: “Get out of the car, get out of the f—ing car.” Good reverses briefly, then turns the steering wheel toward the passenger side as she drives ahead and Ross opens fire.

    The camera becomes unsteady and points toward the sky and then returns to the street view showing Good’s SUV careening away.

    “F—— b—,” someone at the scene says.

    A crashing sound is heard as Good’s vehicle smashes into others parked on the street.

    Federal agencies have encouraged officers to document encounters in which people may attempt to interfere with enforcement actions, but policing experts have cautioned that recording on a handheld device can complicate already volatile situations by occupying an officer’s hands and narrowing focus at moments when rapid decision-making is required.

    Under an ICE policy directive, officers and agents are expected to activate body-worn cameras at the start of enforcement activities and to record throughout interactions, and footage must be kept for review in serious incidents such as deaths or use-of-force cases. The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to questions about whether the officer who opened fire or any of the others who were on the scene were wearing body cameras.

    Homeland Security says video shows self-defense

    Vice President JD Vance and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in posts on X that the new video backs their contention that the officer fired in self-defense.

    “Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn’t hit by a car, wasn’t being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman,” Vance said. “The reality is that his life was endangered and he fired in self defense.”

    Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has said any self-defense argument is “garbage.”

    Policing experts said the video didn’t change their thoughts on the use-of-force but did raise additional questions about the officer’s training.

    “Now that we can see he’s holding a gun in one hand and a cellphone in the other filming, I want to see the officer training that permits that,” said Geoff Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina.

    The video demonstrates that the officers didn’t perceive Good to be a threat, said John P. Gross, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School who has written extensively about officers shooting at moving vehicles.

    “If you are an officer who views this woman as a threat, you don’t have one hand on a cellphone. You don’t walk around this supposed weapon, casually filming,” Gross said.

    Attempts to reach Ross at phone numbers and email addresses associated with him were not successful.

    Prosecutor asks for video and evidence

    Meanwhile, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, she is concerned by the Trump administration’s decision to bar state and local agencies from playing any role in the investigation into Good’s killing.

    She also said the officer who shot Good in the head does not have complete legal immunity, as Vice President JD Vance declared.

    Video above: VP Vance addresses, answers questions on ICE shooting in Minneapolis

    “We do have jurisdiction to make this decision with what happened in this case,” Moriarty said at a news conference. “It does not matter that it was a federal law enforcement agent.”

    Moriarty said her office would post a link for the public to submit footage of the shooting, even though she acknowledged that she wasn’t sure what legal outcome submissions might produce.

    Good’s wife, Becca Good, released a statement to Minnesota Public Radio on Friday saying, “kindness radiated out of her.”

    “On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns,” Becca Good said.

    “I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him,” she wrote.

    The reaction to Good’s shooting was immediate in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of protesters converging on the shooting scene and the school district canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution and offering an online option through Feb. 12.

    On Friday, protesters were outside a federal facility serving as a hub for the immigration crackdown that began Tuesday in Minneapolis and St. Paul. That evening, hundreds protested outside a hotel in downtown Minneapolis, banging on pots and drums and carrying signs that said, “ICE Out” and “Don’t Shoot.”

    Video below: Minnesota law enforcement blocked from federal investigation into deadly ICE shooting

    Shooting in Portland

    The Portland shooting happened outside a hospital Thursday. A federal border officer shot and wounded a man and woman in a vehicle, identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Venezuela nationals Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras. Police said they were in stable condition Friday after surgery, with DHS saying Nico Moncada was taken into FBI custody

    DHS defended the actions of its officers in Portland, saying the shooting occurred after the driver with alleged gang ties tried to “weaponize” his vehicle to hit them. It said no officers were injured.

    Portland Police Chief Bob Day confirmed that the two people shot had “some nexus” to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. Day said they came to the attention of police during an investigation of a July shooting believed to have been carried out by gang members, but they were not identified as suspects.

    The chief said any gang affiliation did not necessarily justify the shooting by U.S. Border Patrol. The Oregon Department of Justice said it would investigate.

    The biggest crackdown yet

    The Minneapolis shooting happened on the second day of the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities, which Homeland Security said is the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. More than 2,000 officers are taking part and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they have made more than 1,500 arrests.

    The government is also shifting immigration officers to Minneapolis from sweeps in Louisiana, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. This represents a pivot, as the Louisiana crackdown that began in December had been expected to last into February.

    Good’s death — at least the fifth tied to immigration sweeps since President Donald Trump took office — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, with protests planned for this weekend, according to Indivisible, a group formed to resist the Trump administration.

    A deadly encounter seen from multiple angles

    Noem, Trump and others in his administration have repeatedly characterized the Minneapolis shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.

    Several bystanders captured video of Good’s killing, which happened in a neighborhood south of downtown. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said any self-defense argument is “garbage.”

    The federal agent who fatally shot Good is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE, according to records obtained by AP.

    Noem has not publicly named him, but a Homeland Security spokesperson said her description of his injuries last summer refers to an incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, in which court documents identify him as Ross.

    Ross got his arm stuck in the window of a vehicle whose driver was fleeing arrest on an immigration violation. Ross was dragged and fired his Taser. A jury found the driver guilty of assault.

    ___

    Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski and Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis; Ed White in Detroit; Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas; Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma; Michael Biesecker in Washington; Jim Mustian and Safiyah Riddle in New York; Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Two people shot by Customs and Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon, authorities say

    [ad_1]

    Two people were shot by Customs and Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday.Video above: Portland City Council president gives statement on shootingA statement from the Department of Homeland Security says the shooting occurred as Border Patrol agents were conducting “a targeted vehicle stop.”DHS said it believed both the driver and the passenger had ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, but provided no evidence on why that was believed. The statement also said the passenger of the vehicle was involved in a recent shooting in Portland.”When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over law enforcement agents. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,” the statement says. A news release from Portland police says officers responded to the city’s Hazelwood neighborhood around 2:20 p.m. local time for a report of a shooting. Minutes later, Portland officers were notified that a man who had been shot was calling for help.”Officers responded and found a male and female with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel,” Portland police officials said. Both people were transported to the hospital and their conditions are unknown. Portland police officials also said they determined that both people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents. Video below: FBI agents on scene after Customs and Border Patrol agents shoot two people in Portland, OregonThe shooting came after 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday in Minneapolis.Protests followed the killing, which also set off a clash between federal officials who insist the shooting was an act of self-defense and Minneapolis officials who dispute that narrative.”We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Portland police Chief Bob Day said in the release. “We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”

    Two people were shot by Customs and Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday.

    Video above: Portland City Council president gives statement on shooting

    A statement from the Department of Homeland Security says the shooting occurred as Border Patrol agents were conducting “a targeted vehicle stop.”

    DHS said it believed both the driver and the passenger had ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, but provided no evidence on why that was believed. The statement also said the passenger of the vehicle was involved in a recent shooting in Portland.

    “When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over law enforcement agents. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,” the statement says.

    A news release from Portland police says officers responded to the city’s Hazelwood neighborhood around 2:20 p.m. local time for a report of a shooting.

    Minutes later, Portland officers were notified that a man who had been shot was calling for help.

    “Officers responded and found a male and female with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel,” Portland police officials said.

    Both people were transported to the hospital and their conditions are unknown. Portland police officials also said they determined that both people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents.

    Video below: FBI agents on scene after Customs and Border Patrol agents shoot two people in Portland, Oregon

    The shooting came after 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

    Protests followed the killing, which also set off a clash between federal officials who insist the shooting was an act of self-defense and Minneapolis officials who dispute that narrative.

    “We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Portland police Chief Bob Day said in the release. “We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”

    This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Minnesota governor says state must play a role in investigation after ICE agent fatally shoots woman

    [ad_1]

    Minnesota must play a role in investigating the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Gov. Tim Walz insisted Thursday, pushing back against the Trump administration’s decision to keep the investigation solely in federal hands.A day after the unidentified ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good as she tried to drive away on a snowy Minneapolis street, tensions remained high, with dozens of protesters venting their outrage outside of a federal facility that’s serving as a hub for the administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major city.Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of the crackdowns in other cities, walked along the long line of officers, looking at the crowd as protesters yelled at him, including a man who shouted, “Border Patrol should be along the border!” Many activists tried to converse with the officers and persuade them that the job they were doing was wrong.“We should be horrified,” protester Shanta Hejmadi said as demonstrators shouted “No More ICE,” “Go Home Nazis,” and other slogans at a line of Border Patrol officers, who responded with tear gas and pepper spray. “We should be saddened that our government is waging war on our citizens. We should get out and say no. What else can we do?”Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump and others in his administration characterized the shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.Vice President JD Vance weighed in Thursday, saying the shooting was justified and that Good was a “victim of left-wing ideology.”“I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it is a tragedy of her own making,” Vance said, noting that the officer who killed her was injured while making an arrest last June.But state and local officials and protesters rejected that characterization, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying video of the shooting shows the self-defense argument to be “garbage.” Video below: VP Vance addresses, answers questions on ICE shooting in Minneapolis An immigration crackdown quickly turns deadlyThe shooting happened on Day 2 of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which the Department of Homeland Security said is the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. More than 2,000 officers taking part, and Noem said they have already made more than 1,500 arrests.It provoked an immediate response in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of people turning up to the scene to vent their outrage at the ICE officers and the school district later canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution.Good’s death — at least the fifth tied to an immigration crackdown under Trump — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, as anti-immigration enforcement protests took place or were expected Thursday in New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, New Orleans and Chicago. Protests were also scheduled for later this week in Arizona, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.Video above: Witness describes Minneapolis shooting involving ICE officerWho will investigate?On Thursday, the Minnesota agency that investigates officer-involved shootings said it was informed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department would not work with the department, effectively ending any role for the state to determine if crimes were committed. Noem said the state has no jurisdiction.“Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands,” Drew Evans, the bureau’s superintendent, said.Walz publicly demanded that the state be allowed to take part, repeatedly emphasizing that it would be “very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.Walz publicly demanded that the state be allowed to take part, repeatedly emphasizing that it would be “very, very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.Noem, he said, was “judge, jury and basically executioner” during her public comments about the confrontation.“People in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem — have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate,” the governor said.Frey, the mayor, told The Associated Press: “We want to make sure that there is a check on this administration to ensure that this investigation is done for justice, not for the sake of a cover-up.”Video above: Kristi Noem questioned on ICE shootingA deadly encounter seen from several anglesSeveral bystanders captured footage of Good’s killing, which happened in a neighborhood south of downtown.The videos show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.Graphic video shows woman shot by ICE agent in MinneapolisIt isn’t clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.The mayor said he’s working with community leaders to try to keep any protests peaceful.“The top thing that this Trump administration is looking for is an excuse to come in with militarized force, to further occupy our streets, to cause more chaos, to have this kind of civil war on the streets of America in a Democratically run city,” Frey told the AP. “We cannot give them what they want.” ___Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski, Giovanna Dell’Orto and Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis, Ed White in Detroit, Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas, Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma, Michael Biesecker In Washington, Jim Mustian in New York and Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa contributed.

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    Minnesota must play a role in investigating the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Gov. Tim Walz insisted Thursday, pushing back against the Trump administration’s decision to keep the investigation solely in federal hands.

    A day after the unidentified ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good as she tried to drive away on a snowy Minneapolis street, tensions remained high, with dozens of protesters venting their outrage outside of a federal facility that’s serving as a hub for the administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major city.

    Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of the crackdowns in other cities, walked along the long line of officers, looking at the crowd as protesters yelled at him, including a man who shouted, “Border Patrol should be along the border!” Many activists tried to converse with the officers and persuade them that the job they were doing was wrong.

    “We should be horrified,” protester Shanta Hejmadi said as demonstrators shouted “No More ICE,” “Go Home Nazis,” and other slogans at a line of Border Patrol officers, who responded with tear gas and pepper spray. “We should be saddened that our government is waging war on our citizens. We should get out and say no. What else can we do?”

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump and others in his administration characterized the shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.

    Vice President JD Vance weighed in Thursday, saying the shooting was justified and that Good was a “victim of left-wing ideology.”

    “I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it is a tragedy of her own making,” Vance said, noting that the officer who killed her was injured while making an arrest last June.

    But state and local officials and protesters rejected that characterization, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying video of the shooting shows the self-defense argument to be “garbage.”

    Video below: VP Vance addresses, answers questions on ICE shooting in Minneapolis

    An immigration crackdown quickly turns deadly

    The shooting happened on Day 2 of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which the Department of Homeland Security said is the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. More than 2,000 officers taking part, and Noem said they have already made more than 1,500 arrests.

    It provoked an immediate response in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of people turning up to the scene to vent their outrage at the ICE officers and the school district later canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution.

    Good’s death — at least the fifth tied to an immigration crackdown under Trump — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, as anti-immigration enforcement protests took place or were expected Thursday in New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, New Orleans and Chicago. Protests were also scheduled for later this week in Arizona, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.

    Video above: Witness describes Minneapolis shooting involving ICE officer

    Who will investigate?

    On Thursday, the Minnesota agency that investigates officer-involved shootings said it was informed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department would not work with the department, effectively ending any role for the state to determine if crimes were committed. Noem said the state has no jurisdiction.

    “Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands,” Drew Evans, the bureau’s superintendent, said.

    Walz publicly demanded that the state be allowed to take part, repeatedly emphasizing that it would be “very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.

    Walz publicly demanded that the state be allowed to take part, repeatedly emphasizing that it would be “very, very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.

    Noem, he said, was “judge, jury and basically executioner” during her public comments about the confrontation.

    “People in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem — have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate,” the governor said.

    Frey, the mayor, told The Associated Press: “We want to make sure that there is a check on this administration to ensure that this investigation is done for justice, not for the sake of a cover-up.”

    Video above: Kristi Noem questioned on ICE shooting


    A deadly encounter seen from several angles

    Several bystanders captured footage of Good’s killing, which happened in a neighborhood south of downtown.

    The videos show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

    Graphic video shows woman shot by ICE agent in Minneapolis

    It isn’t clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.

    The mayor said he’s working with community leaders to try to keep any protests peaceful.

    “The top thing that this Trump administration is looking for is an excuse to come in with militarized force, to further occupy our streets, to cause more chaos, to have this kind of civil war on the streets of America in a Democratically run city,” Frey told the AP. “We cannot give them what they want.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski, Giovanna Dell’Orto and Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis, Ed White in Detroit, Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas, Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma, Michael Biesecker In Washington, Jim Mustian in New York and Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa contributed.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Secret Service: Man arrested, accused of breaking windows at VP JD Vance’s Ohio home

    [ad_1]

    A man has been taken into custody by police after officers and Secret Service agents responded to the Cincinnati home of Vice President JD Vance overnight.William DeFoor, 26, has been charged with criminal damaging/endangering, obstructing official business and criminal trespass, all misdemeanors, as well as one count of vandalism, a fifth-degree felony, according to a police report.Cincinnati Police say DeFoor is accused of being seen by a Secret Service agent and on security footage walking onto the property without permission and damaging four windows, as well as a vehicle. Sister station WLWT’s cameras captured what appears to be damage to the windows of the home. Officers were on scene for several hours, going in and out of the house. The Secret Service said the incident happened shortly after midnight early Monday morning. The Secret Service is coordinating with CPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Vance had been in Cincinnati for the last week. He left Sunday afternoon. This is a developing story and will be updated when we learn more.

    CINCINNATI —

    A man has been taken into custody by police after officers and Secret Service agents responded to the Cincinnati home of Vice President JD Vance overnight.

    William DeFoor, 26, has been charged with criminal damaging/endangering, obstructing official business and criminal trespass, all misdemeanors, as well as one count of vandalism, a fifth-degree felony, according to a police report.

    Cincinnati Police say DeFoor is accused of being seen by a Secret Service agent and on security footage walking onto the property without permission and damaging four windows, as well as a vehicle.

    Sister station WLWT’s cameras captured what appears to be damage to the windows of the home. Officers were on scene for several hours, going in and out of the house.

    Hearst Owned

    WLWT’s cameras captured what appears to be damage to the windows of the home. Officers were on scene in the East Walnut Hills area for several hours, going in and out of the house.

    The Secret Service said the incident happened shortly after midnight early Monday morning. The Secret Service is coordinating with CPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

    Vance had been in Cincinnati for the last week. He left Sunday afternoon.

    This is a developing story and will be updated when we learn more.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Police respond to Ohio home of VP JD Vance as part of hours-long investigation

    [ad_1]

    Police respond to Ohio home of VP JD Vance as part of hours-long investigation

    PEOPLE LINE UP TO WATCH THE HISTORIC ARRAIGNMENT. THIS IS WLWT NEWS 5 LEADING THE WAY WITH BREAKING NEWS. LET’S GET RIGHT TO THAT BREAKING NEWS. WE ARE STILL WORKING TO GET ANSWERS AFTER CINCINNATI POLICE AND THE U.S. SECRET SERVICE RESPONDED TO THE HOME OF JD VANCE OVERNIGHT. THEY WERE THERE IN EAST WALNUT HILLS FOR SEVERAL HOURS. WLWT NEWS FIVE’S NICOLE APONTE LIVE FOR US THERE THIS MORNING. NICOLE, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US? KELLY, WE’RE IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE JD VANCE HOME IS IN EAST WALNUT HILLS. THERE IS STILL VERY LIMITED INFORMATION RIGHT NOW, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT CINCINNATI POLICE AND SECRET SERVICE AGENTS RESPONDED TO VANCE’S HOME OVERNIGHT. IN THIS VIDEO, RIGHT HERE, OUR PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURED WHAT APPEARS TO BE DAMAGE TO THE WINDOWS. OFFICERS WERE ON SCENE IN THE AREA FOR SEVERAL HOURS, GOING IN AND OUT OF THIS HOME, BUT POLICE HERE COULD ONLY TELL US THEY, QUOTE, HAVE A SUSPECT. IT’S NOT CLEAR IF THAT PERSON IS IN CUSTODY, WHAT THEY’RE CHARGED WITH, OR IF THEY’RE CONNECTED TO THIS INVESTIGATION. VICE PRESIDENT VANCE WAS IN CINCINNATI FOR THE LAST WEEK AND LEFT YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. WE’VE SPOKEN WITH SECRET SERVICE AGENTS HERE ON THE SCENE. THEY TELL US THAT THERE SHOULD BE A STATEMENT MADE LATER THIS MORNING. MEANTIME, WE’LL STILL MONITOR THE SITUATION HERE IN EAST WALNUT HILLS AND BRING YOU THESE UPDATES AS THE

    Police respond to Ohio home of VP JD Vance as part of hours-long investigation

    Updated: 3:28 AM PST Jan 5, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Police and Secret Service agents responded to the Cincinnati home of Vice President JD Vance overnight.Sister station WLWT’s cameras captured what appears to be damage to the windows of the home. Officers were on scene for several hours, going in and out of the house.Cincinnati police there could say only that they “have a suspect.”It’s not clear if that person is in custody or what they’re charged with.WLWT has spoken with Secret Service agents who say a statement will likely be made later Monday morning.Vance had been in Cincinnati for the last week. He left Sunday afternoon. This is a developing story and will be updated when we learn more.

    CINCINNATI —

    Police and Secret Service agents responded to the Cincinnati home of Vice President JD Vance overnight.

    Sister station WLWT’s cameras captured what appears to be damage to the windows of the home. Officers were on scene for several hours, going in and out of the house.

    WLWT's cameras captured what appears to be damage to the windows of the home. Officers were on scene in the East Walnut Hills area for several hours, going in and out of the house.

    Hearst Owned

    WLWT’s cameras captured what appears to be damage to the windows of the home. Officers were on scene in the East Walnut Hills area for several hours, going in and out of the house.

    Cincinnati police there could say only that they “have a suspect.”

    It’s not clear if that person is in custody or what they’re charged with.

    WLWT has spoken with Secret Service agents who say a statement will likely be made later Monday morning.

    Vance had been in Cincinnati for the last week. He left Sunday afternoon.

    This is a developing story and will be updated when we learn more.

    [ad_2]

    Source link