WASHINGTON — The federal immigration officer who fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis had previously been dragged by a vehicle and injured, Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Vance said the officer "nearly had his life ended" after being dragged by a car six months ago, causing an injury requiring 33 stitches.
"So you think maybe he's a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile," Vance said.
State and federal officials have offered starkly different accounts of the shooting, which took place during President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Trump and his allies have defended the shooting as an act of self-defense, while Minnesota officials have denounced it as an act of unrestrained violence.
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Vance's description of the previous dragging incident matched the details of a case from June 2025 when an ICE agent was injured in Bloomington, Minnesota.
In that case, a migrant living in the country illegally tried to drive away from ICE agents who were attempting to arrest him, dragging one officer about 100 yards.
The officer, identified in court records as Jonathan Ross, suffered wounds to his arm and hand that took a total of 33 stitches to close, according to prosecutors. The driver was convicted last month of assaulting a federal officer.
Reuters could not immediately verify if Ross was the same officer as the one involved in the Minneapolis shooting.
