By Ben Meiselas
The Trump regime has murdered another citizen. And now they’re lying about it. The cover-up is in full swing. But we have the footage. From multiple angles. We’ve heard from multiple witnesses. And we have cameras on the ground, thanks to our partners at Status Coup.
Early this morning, federal agents shot and killed a man near Glam Doll Donuts on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. Multiple witnesses were on scene. One described it to us as “an execution.” Within minutes, Minneapolis police moved to secure the area. They were blocked by federal agents. According to the Star Tribune, federal officers attempted to order local police away from the scene. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara refused and instructed his officers to preserve the site.
That refusal mattered, because video evidence from multiple angles began circulating almost immediately. The footage shows at least ten shots fired. It shows the victim’s hands appearing empty. It does not show him using a weapon, reaching for one, or threatening anyone. It shows a man shot to the ground and then shot again.
Federal officials quickly claimed the man threatened them with a gun. The videos do not support that claim. If the man was armed, the footage suggests the weapon was holstered. That is consistent with what Minneapolis police have already said publicly: the victim is believed to have been a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. At no point in the available video does he brandish or point a weapon.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement asserting that agents face “severe consequence and repercussions” when a “supposed peaceful protester brings a weapon such as a loaded handgun and brandishes it.” Notice what that statement does not say. It does not say the weapon was pointed at agents. It does not say agents were fired upon. It asserts, in effect, that the mere presence of a lawfully carried firearm justifies lethal force.
That position is not only morally indefensible. It is incompatible with the Constitution that DHS claims to be enforcing.
Video analysis disproves the entire Trump regime’s narrative. Freeze frames show agents firing as the victim recoils. Other frames show an agent pressing a gun into the victim’s chest while shots continue. The man’s hands remain visible and empty. The claim that this was a necessary response to an imminent threat is contradicted by the visual record.
This was not an isolated incident. It was the third reported shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis in less than three weeks. It follows a pattern in which DHS and Border Patrol claim a victim was armed, only for evidence to reveal that any weapon was holstered or never used. It also follows repeated efforts by federal agents to control scenes, restrict local investigations, and shape a narrative through friendly outlets before facts are established.
We have obtained this new angle of federal agents killing the man, which appears to come from the the woman in pink filming from the sidewalk near where it all happened (warning: this content is disturbing to watch):
An additional video shows the scene moments before the murder occurred. The victim can be clearly seen recording the federal agents with his phone as they approached him and escalated the situation, not brandishing a weapon as the federal government claims.
Minnesota leaders have responded. Governor Tim Walz said he spoke with the White House after what he called “another horrific shooting by federal agents” and added, “Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The president must end this operation, pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota.” Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith called for ICE to leave the state so local authorities can do their jobs. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty made clear she would not allow federal agents to block her office from investigating.
As more people gathered near the site to protest, federal agents escalated again. Our partners at Status Coup were on the ground and captured agents firing tear gas, pepper spray, and flash-bang grenades at people who were walking up and protesting peacefully. We are going to be live streaming from the scene throughout the day as long as we can. Watch here.
Community members were filmed offering water and aid to those affected by gas while agents continued to deploy crowd control weapons.
This behavior fits a broader pattern. In recent days, Border Patrol leadership has been caught on camera using chemical agents, including a green gas identified by observers as carcinogenic, against civilians. Agents have been filmed assaulting people in public parks. They have been filmed driving through neighborhoods near elementary schools while deploying gas. Children have been detained. Families have been terrorized. Now a man is dead.
Minneapolis journalist and anchor Jana Shortal of KARE 11, clearly wearing a press credentials, said on Instagram that she was pepper sprayed and punched in the eye by federal agents while trying to capture the aftermath of today’s fatal shooting.
Donald Trump’s response was not to call for transparency or accountability. He went all in on a cover-up. In a dangerous statement, Trump declared, “This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go,” and demanded to know why local police were not “allowed to protect ICE Officers.” He accused the mayor and governor of calling police off the scene, claimed there were “Billions of Dollars missing” due to “massive Monetary Fraud,” and asserted that “Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud.” He then accused Governor Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey of “inciting Insurrection,” and urged the country to “LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!”
Trump attacked the victim’s lawful gun ownership, implying that having a permitted firearm gave agents the right to kill him. That is an extraordinary claim. Minneapolis police have already said the man is believed to have been a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. The videos show no use of a weapon. Trump’s position amounts to this: exercise a constitutional right and you forfeit your life.
Trump dragged in unrelated false claims about Rep. Ilhan Omar. He framed the killing as part of a righteous crusade against fraud and “illegal alien criminals.” None of that addresses the central issue. A man is dead. The government’s story does not match the video. The regime engaged in cold-blooded murder. Again.
Stephen Miller has referred to the man as a “terrorist.”
There is also a jurisdictional problem that I feel have to highlight. Border Patrol’s authority is limited. Its presence deep in the interior raises serious legal questions, especially when agents act as a paramilitary force, block local police, and interfere with investigations. Those questions grow sharper when DHS feeds selective information to partisan outlets while resisting independent review.
This is why preserving the scene mattered. This is why video matters. This is why local prosecutors must be allowed to investigate without interference. This is why we began live streaming from the scene just minutes after this all happened.
I will continue reporting alongside our partners who are risking their lives to document what is happening on the ground. We will continue to publish video, timelines, and statements as they emerge. Accountability begins with facts, and facts begin with evidence. The evidence here demands an independent investigation, immediate withdrawal of federal forces from Minneapolis, and consequences for those who ordered and carried out this murder.
I will keep you updated as this develops. Thanks for your support. It’s your subscriptions that make our on-the-ground coverage possible, so thanks to all who subscribe. And thanks again to our partners Status Coup who are risking their lives on the ground to bring you the truth.
