[Updated] On the Shooting by ICE Agents in North Minneapolis on January 14, 2026
[Update 2/27/26]
On January 14, one week after the murder of Ms. Good by an ICE agent and ten days before the murder of Mr. Pretti by CBP agents, ICE agents shot a resident in North Minneapolis nearby where I live. Alongside hundreds of residents, I arrived on a cold Minnesota night to exercise First Amendment activity and gather with neighbors.
I published a statement on January 15, which recounted the timeline of events and my personal experience given the limited information available at the time. Six weeks later, I have updated the original statement below to provide more information with new evidence and reporting that have fundamentally changed what the public was told about that night.
What changed?
On January 14, just two hours after a resident 911 call reporting a shooting, the Department of Homeland Security’s social media post indicated a conclusion and verdict of what occurred - even though the United States’ constitutional protections and judicial system requires that justice and accountability are pursued through legal action, credible investigation, and fair court processes.
However, all of this information has now been confirmed as untrue:
The resident who was shot is not the same person that ICE agents had originally reported. Meaning, they got the wrong person.
The shooting was presented as justified because of an alleged attack on ICE agents, which was completely fabricated and inconsistent with corroborated evidence. Meaning, they lied.
The fabricated narrative was used to justify use of force on residents gathering or neighbors traveling home, which resulted in significant tear gas and flash bang impacts across North Minneapolis. Meaning, they caused trauma and harm for countless children and bystanders for literally no reason at all.
What’s the new evidence and reporting?
On January 21, two ICE Agents provided false statements under oath regarding the events leading up to the shooting. Surveillance video and additional evidence later revealed that ICE agents’ sworn testimony did not match what actually occurred on the ground.
In addition to video evidence, two women – named Indriany Syrisnoy Mendoza-Camacho and Valentina De Los Angeles Tiapa Moreno – were inside the North Minneapolis home that night and have since come forward with accounts that directly contradict the initial federal narrative.
The accounts of Indriany and Valentina stated that Alejandro Aljorna was being chased, and that Julio Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg through the apartment door as he attempted to retreat, not while attacking officers as was formally stated by the officers. It was disputed that either man wielded or threatened to use any weapon.
According to the new accounts, an officer was punching and attempting to choke Aljorna. Sosa-Celis intervened to pull him away, and the men ran back into the home. The two women stated that a shot was then fired through the closed door, hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg while a young child was in the room.
Indriany and Valentina, along with two small children (ages three and one), were detained that night, and the women were transported unconstitutionally out of state shortly after the incident to Texas, and are still being held there without release.
A third man, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez Ledezma, who lived in the downstairs apartment, was also detained without a warrant and flown within hours to a detention facility in Texas. He was never federally charged, and he stated that his removal prevented him from serving as a material eyewitness who could have assisted in the Minnesota state investigation.
Throughout this all, young children were present, they had guns trained upon them, and tear gas was fired into the house while they were present.
What does this mean?
The narrative from the federal administration immediately after the shooting, which was repeated in press releases and by federal spokespeople, has now been proven to be incorrect in multiple key ways. Their initial claims about what occurred were relayed before any thorough investigation had taken place, which has become a common theme with this administration on the events that have occurred in Minneapolis, similar to their disgusting lies about Renee Good and Alex Pretti after they were brutally and senselessly murdered.
The new evidence and reporting confirm that our own federal government has intentionally spread lies and misinformation in order to construe facts, avoid accountability, and justify mass taxpayer-funded violence. They literally took money away from food, healthcare, and housing - in order to fund masked federal agents murdering Americans and kidnapping children.
And if this is what they are doing on video, then what atrocities are occurring within the so-called “detention” facilities? What has been described in these federal facilities all across the country sounds more like concentration camps, with no place to lay, no privacy for using the restroom, no food or access to medical care, no phone or counsel, and no recourse for sexual violence.
No one is above the law or accountability. There have been countless constitutional violations and inhumane treatment here in Minnesota, but this harm is not new and it is not stopping. The Department of Homeland Security’s ICE and CBP budgets have ballooned - while these agencies continue to violate hundreds of court orders across the country. Independent and robust investigations must be pursued in each death, shooting, or constitutional violation.
With a hardening resolve toward accountability, I commit to governing with courage against authoritarianism. I promise to defend democracy and to fight against fascist concentration camps. Ultimately, I do believe shared humanity will prevail because I believe we the people will rise together in solidarity toward justice.
[Original Statement 01/15/26]
One week after the murder of Ms. Good by an ICE agent in South Minneapolis, an ICE agent shot a resident in North Minneapolis. I am aware of many on-the-ground accounts, and given the need for formal documentation, I am sharing my own experience from last night.
If you witnessed the events that occurred yesterday, whether as a bystander or legal observer, please consider documenting and reporting your experience to the Attorney General’s Office.
For Hennepin County residents in fear of their safety and needing legal representation, please contact Hennepin’s Adult Representation Services by calling 612-348-7012. More resources from Hennepin County and our community partners can be found on the County’s federal response page.
What happened?
At 6:51pm, the City of Minneapolis posted online about a 911 call that reported a shooting on the 600 block of North 24th Avenue. I cannot speak with authority regarding the incident itself due to competing reports of what happened. I have asked but am not aware of any legal documentation regarding the ICE activity.
At 7:45pm, I received communication from various community members regarding an incident in North Minneapolis, nearby where I live. The report was that an ICE agent shot a resident, with a request for support in de-escalation and observation.
At 8:01pm, I received confirmation that one resident had been shot in the back of the leg and was being taken to receive emergency care.
At 8:51pm, just two hours after the 911 call, the Department of Homeland Security’s social media post indicated a conclusion and verdict of what occurred; however, the United States’ constitutional protections and judicial system requires that justice and accountability are pursued through legal action, credible investigation, and fair court processes.
My observations and experience
By 9:00pm, I went to the site myself to observe. Law enforcement had created a one-block perimeter from the address of the shooting; although I attempted to get closer to the site (intersection of Lyndale Ave and 24th Ave), most of my experience took place on Lyndale Ave, between 23rd Ave and 22nd Ave.
Between 9:00pm and 9:30pm, a large crowd of legal observers, neighbors, elected officials, journalists, and law enforcement from various agencies was beginning to form. I was on Lyndale Ave and 23rd Ave, facing north, and was able to see where the line of ICE agents were. People of all ages and backgrounds were gathered to observe and document.
It is important to note that I also noticed many people and vehicles were not there to protest or observe. Due to the perimeter set by law enforcement, Lyndale Ave was completely closed to traffic; however, there was no traffic guidance for vehicles passing through, nor any support for individuals trying to get home within the perimeter. I personally witnessed a driver ask, “I am just trying to get home, where should I go?” The ICE agent responded, “You can’t be here, you need to get out of here.” The driver then asked, “I would like to, but literally where can I drive because that road is blocked.”
Around 9:40pm, it seemed as though ICE agents were moving back although I was unable to see or hear anything clearly. Since there seemed to be significant space being created, the crowd began moving forward on Lyndale Ave toward 24th Ave; however, I stayed closer to the 23rd Ave intersection.
Around 9:45pm, I was almost a full block away from the line of ICE agents. There were hundreds of residents of all ages who were engaging in our First Amendment right to assemble. I ran into community members unexpectedly; we hugged and greeted one another, and without warning, a very loud and bright flash bang was thrown into the crowd. This caused immediate chaos and fear; while residents and myself instinctively moved away, tear gas canisters were being thrown even further back into crowds of people who were nowhere near ICE agents.
I was surprised with how far they were throwing into the crowd, into people exercising the Constitutional right to assemble and who had no ability to see any officers or hear any instructions. I was nearly a full block away and unable to even see any ICE agents, and yet numerous residents, journalists, and bystanders were gasping for air and coughing due to chemical irritants spreading quickly throughout the area. I am grateful to the prepared residents who assisted in moving bystanders out of harm’s way.
By 9:55pm, the initial commotion was calming, and I was reunited with my group closer to 22nd Ave and Lyndale. Yes, only a mere ten minutes total – this is how fast and how harmful the tactics escalated. And I will repeat: flash bombs and tear gas canisters were being launched into crowds who were unable to comply because there were no amplified instructions, no warnings, and no phone alerts.
Between 10:00pm and 10:15pm, I saw residents being helpful to one another – offering water, helping to find lost items, providing support, and more. While assisting in finding lost items in between 22nd Ave and 23rd Ave, we heard several loud booms in a row and then dozens of people running south toward us.
I later learned that this commotion was related to a devastating and appalling use of force against innocent residents. A family with multiple children and a 6-month-old were all tear gassed; tear gas is a chemical irritant used for violence and in warfare, with numerous health impacts especially for small children. Click here for the tweet where I learned of this preventable harm.
Around 10:30pm, I departed the area and returned home safely.
In closing
It is important for me to document this experience because it is important to uplift the truth and harm we are experiencing from the Federal Government. This taxpayer funded violence and trauma must stop. The Federal Government has chosen to stop funding food, healthcare, and housing - and instead has reallocated those funds in Minnesota toward longstanding physical and emotional harm. This constructed chaos dehumanizes our neighbors, crushes our spirits, and distracts from their unlawful and greedy agenda.
However, our collective shared humanity has fought against and overcome tyranny before – and we will do so again – together. I am proud of my neighbors’ unrelenting courage, compassionate caregiving, and a fierce resilience toward justice. Together, we must resist the urge to give into this numbness – because numbing our pain also numbs our shared humanity, and it is through the collective wisdom in our bodies and ancestral storylines that we will get through to the other side.
Because together, we come from powerful, loving, and resourceful storylines. Our cultures and ancestors have found ways to construct creativity from pain, joy from fear, and hope from oppression. Ultimately, shared humanity will prevail. I remain in this fight with you: speaking our truth, caring with compassion, and leading toward accountability and justice.
