ICE Agent's 'Punitive' Use of Less-Lethal Launcher in Minneapolis Protests Exposed

The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on January 7 sparked nationwide protests, with violent clashes between protesters and federal agents. In Minneapolis, an agent used a less-lethal launcher in ways that experts described as 'punitive' and 'questionable at best'. This agent, an elite Border Patrol officer identifiable by the uniform number patch EZ-17, was captured on camera firing his B&T GL06 40mm less-lethal launcher at protesters five times in five minutes as he traveled down a street adjacent to where Good was killed. While 'less-lethal' weapons are not designed to kill, they can still result in serious injuries and even death when misused. In a separate incident in California, a protester said he was permanently blinded in one eye after being shot in the face with a less-lethal PepperBall gun at close range by a DHS officer. Last year, a judge in Illinois ordered an injunction limiting federal agents' use of force in the state due to aggressive use of force against peaceful protesters.