An agent with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday shot and killed a woman who US authorities accused of trying to ram ICE officers with her vehicle.

In a post on X, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said ICE officers were conducting a raid in Minneapolis when "rioters began blocking" the agents.

"One of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them — an act of domestic terrorism," the DHS said.

Minneapolis mayor rejects ICE claims 

Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, strongly rejected claims by the federal government that the ICE agents were acting in self-defense.

Frey said he had seen a video of the incident, in which a Honda SUV appears to be blocking unmarked vehicles being used by law enforcement.

"They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense," the mayor said. "Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bulls---."

Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called on people not to believe the DHS's "propaganda machine" regarding its response to the killing.

"The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice," he wrote on X.

However, US President Donald Trump said that the fatal shooting appeared to be an act of self-defense. He also accused the victim of viciously running over the agent.

"The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

What happened in the incident in Minneapolis?

In unverified video footage that has been shared on social media, ICE officers are seen walking over to the vehicle to try to open the door. As the 37-year-old woman attempts to drive away, one agent fires his gun three times, before the car crashes nearby.

The incident happened during a protest against an ICE raid in the south of Minnesota's largest city, according to local media.

Frey said "we've dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis."

The Minneapolis mayor called on the immigration authorities to "get the f--- out" of the city, accusing the agents of "causing chaos and distrust."

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have been on edge since the Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that it would launch an operation deploying 2,000 federal agents and officers to the Minneapolis area as part of an immigration crackdown.

At the end of last month, a right-wing influencer posted a video claiming that a Minneapolis daycare center run by Somali residents had committed over $100 million (€86 million) in fraud.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel subsequently announced increased operations in the city on social media, with Patel stating that they would partly target "large-scale fraud schemes."

Edited by: Wesley Dockery