Agitators 'followed,' 'harassed,' 'blocked' officers 'all day' in Minneapolis ahead of shooting: Kristi Noem

In a press conference on Thursday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that ICE agents had been followed "all day" and "harassed" by agitators leading up to the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis who had attempted to run over an ICE agent.

Noem said that officers had been attempting "to get a car stuck out of the snow when they were surrounded and assaulted and blocked in by protestors that were inciting." She later added that the agent who fired "is an experienced officer who followed his training, and we will continue to let the investigation unfold into the individual and continue to follow the procedures and policies that happen in these use-of-force cases."

"But let’s remember the events that surrounded what happened yesterday on that tragic situation was that these individuals had followed our officers all day, had harassed them, had blocked them in. They were impeding our law enforcement operations, which is against the law, and when they demanded and commanded her to get out of her vehicle several times, she did not." She added that this was an "act of domestic terrorism."

Noem said during the press conference that the officer involved was treated at the hospital after being "hit by the vehicle" and has since been released. He is now "spending time with his family." She said that the officer is "experienced" and has served "a number of years, and we recognize that he acted according to his training."

Noem said in response to Democrat officials who have spoken out against the shooting, "Those comments are why we’re standing where we are today. That kind of language and that kind of provocative talk inciting people to take action and perpetuate violence in some cases is unacceptable, and especially of elected leaders."

When asked about reports that federal authorities had "cut out" Minnesota officials from the investigation into the fatal shooting, Noem said, "I’d like to know where they’ve been and why they’re not out on the streets investigating all of these people that are harassing and inciting violence on law enforcement officers right now. They’re allowing the situation to be volatile. They’re not doing their work. They haven’t for years." She later added that Minnesota is a "trainwreck" and "corrupt." She clarified that state authorities "have not been cut out, they don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation."

She said in response to another question regarding her use of domestic terrorism to describe the incident, "This vehicle was used to hit this officer. It was used as a weapon, and the officer feels as though his life was in jeopardy. It was used to perpetuate a violent act that this officer took action to protect himself and protect his fellow law enforcement officers. So we'll let this continue to go forward and follow the same policies and procedures that every use-of-force situation does. But we've had almost over 100 times that these vehicles have been used to ram law enforcement officers and to do damage and to harm them. When you take an action and use a weapon to harm someone and to incite violence against them and try to cause them injury or death, then it needs to be labeled exactly what it was."