Negligence Caught on Camera: ICE Agents Filmed Accidentally Firing Weapon After Slipping on Ice

A short video circulating on social media has placed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents under public backlash after appearing to show two armed agents slipping on an icy pavement in Minnesota, triggering an accidental weapon discharge.

The footage, shared by an observer, shows two ICE agents walking on an icy surface at night. Both lose their balance almost simultaneously. As one agent falls, a weapon appears to discharge. Fortunately, there were no other people around.

While authorities have not confirmed details surrounding the incident, the footage has become a flashpoint for critics who argue it explains ICE's lack of operational safety.

Why a Gun Can Fire During a Fall

Firearms can discharge during falls if basic safety conditions are not met. This happens when the weapon is not properly set to safety or a finger slips inside the trigger guard during a sudden loss of balance. In rare cases, a hard impact causes a mechanical discharge, which could not have happened in the video because it was a simple slip up.

Federal agents are trained to keep their finger indexed along the frame, not the trigger, and to engage the safety when a weapon is not actively in use. The clip has led critics to argue that at least one of those safeguards may have failed.

What Federal Firearms Training Requires

ICE agents undergo firearms training that emphasises weapon retention, trigger discipline and environmental awareness, including slippery or unstable terrain.

Training manuals typically stress that officers must anticipate conditions that increase risk, such as ice, poor lighting or crowds. Critics argue that carrying loaded firearms on visibly icy pavements heightens danger not only to officers but to bystanders.

Supporters counter that agents often operate in unpredictable conditions and that accidents, while rare, can still happen.

ICE Blasted on Social Media After Minneapolis Shooting

Following the recent fatal shooting in Minneapolis, users cracked jokes about how 'the Trump administration is about to hold a press conference to tell the people of the country that the sidewalk was trying to take their lives and it was a valid shooting'.

Others also call out negligence, 'Dumb and Dumber on ice: armed ICE goons flailing helplessly, one rifle discharging wildly because safety off. Peak negligence from a regime unleashing dangerously unfit thugs on our streets. Reckless and un-American'.

But most of the commenters leaned into slapstick comparisons, with comments like 'Arrest that sidewalk for assaulting a federal officer!' and 'They did that because the slippery surface was imposing a danger to their life'.

What Could Happen if Someone Got Shot?

If an accidental discharge results in injury or death, federal law is clear: the officer involved could face serious legal consequences, including criminal charges or civil liability. Agencies will conduct internal investigations to determine whether negligence, violation of safety protocols, or recklessness took place.

In cases involving bystanders, the officer could be held personally liable, and the agency may face lawsuits. Even if no one is harmed, accidental discharges are logged in official reports, often leading to retraining, suspension, or reassignment.

However, critics argue that this will be pardoned in court, noting that the recent deadly Minneapolis incident was already deemed a non-criminal activity by the Trump administration.