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Three children, including a 6-month-old baby, were hospitalized on Wednesday (January 14) after a Minneapolis family said officers hit their vehicle with tear gas and flash bang munitions amid anti-ICE demonstrations.
The incident occurred amid protests following the shooting of a man by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a traffic stop. Federal officials said the man resisted arrest, a claim disputed by protesters who quickly gathered at the scene.
Shawn Jackson said he was driving home with his wife, Destiny Jackson, and their six children when law enforcement deployed crowd-control munitions near their van. Jackson said a flash bang detonated close enough to set off the vehicle’s airbags and that tear gas filled the interior.
“Officers threw flash bangs and tear gas in my car. I got six kids in the car,” Jackson told FOX 9. “My 6-month-old can’t even breathe. My car filled with tear gas — I’m trying to pull my kids from the car.”
Destiny Jackson said their infant stopped breathing and lost consciousness after the gas entered the vehicle. She said she performed CPR on the baby while bystanders attempted to flush tear gas from her other children’s eyes using milk.
Three of the children, ranging in age from 6 months to 11 years old, were transported to the hospital by ambulance. Two of the children have asthma, the parents said.
The Minneapolis Fire Department confirmed it responded around 9:20 p.m. to a medical emergency near the 600 block of 23rd Avenue North. Initial reports indicated an ICE agent deployed tear gas near a vehicle, causing breathing difficulties for an infant. City officials said the baby was breathing when first responders arrived, but remained in serious condition and was hospitalized.
The Jacksons said they were not participating in the protest and were simply trying to get home.
“My kids were innocent. We were innocent. This shouldn’t have happened,” Destiny Jackson said. “We were just trying to go home.”
Minneapolis police said law enforcement then deployed tear gas and flash bangs to disperse a growing crowd. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not responded publicly to the family’s allegations that munitions were deployed directly at their vehicle.
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