Tear-Gassed Minneapolis Family Sparks Backlash After Livestream Shows Mother at Protest

Destiny Jackson and her family — eight people in total — were exposed to tear gas while stopped in Minneapolis on Jan. 14, after what her family says began as a routine drive home from a basketball game. In the days that followed, Jackson gave multiple interviews to CNN and set up a GoFundMe that raised more than $170,000. A long livestream from the night has since surfaced, showing Jackson at or near the protest for extended stretches and capturing an inflammatory remark that has intensified public scrutiny.

What Happened That Night

Jackson told CNN she initially stopped because traffic was blocked and she recognized family members near the demonstration. She says she walked to the protest to urge her mother — who she says has congestive heart failure — to leave. According to Jackson, she returned to the vehicle with her six children and husband but could not drive away when the situation escalated. A tear gas canister appears to have rolled under the family’s car and detonated; bystanders helped remove the children and Jackson says she performed mouth-to-mouth on the 6-month-old infant.

Destiny Jackson speaks during an interview with CNN affiliate WCCO. - WCCO

Newly Surfaced Video And The Controversial Comment

A 1-hour-36-minute livestream from the scene, first reported by Crime Watch Mpls and later covered by other outlets, shows Jackson and her husband in and around the protest for at least 45 minutes. About 10 minutes before flash-bang devices and other chaos are visible on the tape, the livestream records Jackson responding to a prompt by saying, “We’re going to kill these motherf**kers.” The livestreamer immediately replies, “No you not, no she not.”

Jackson’s response: She told CNN the remark was sarcastic and taken out of context, saying the livestreamer had been discussing guns and she was rhetorically asking whether he planned to attack federal agents. “Shooting and killing people is unacceptable, that was completely taken out of context,” she said.

CNN has said it cannot independently confirm whether Jackson’s vehicle was immobilized when the confrontation intensified. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told CNN the family was "caught in the middle" of the unrest. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described the family as victims of “rioters and agitators” in an email to CNN.

This screengrab from a video shared on social media shows the state of the family's car in the aftermath of the tear-gassing incident. - Yaakov Strasberg/@YaakovStras

Medical Aftermath

City officials said initial reports indicated the tear gas caused breathing difficulties for a 6-month-old infant who was inside the vehicle. When police and fire personnel reached the family, the infant was breathing and stable but in serious condition, according to the city. Jackson says she and the baby continued to experience congestion days later and that the infant was taking medication to open his airways; she also says two older children with severe asthma were taken to the hospital.

Questions About Jackson’s Past

Critics have pointed to Jackson’s criminal record after the GoFundMe drew public attention. Court documents show Jackson pleaded guilty in June 2021 to "aiding an offender — accomplice after the fact." Murder charges related to the same case were later dismissed. Prosecutors say James Moore, whom Jackson has described as a boyfriend at the time, pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder and received a 30-year sentence; Jackson was not convicted of murder and said she did not write a contested Facebook message that prosecutors say lured the victim.

Destiny Jackson speaks during an interview with CNN affiliate WCCO. - WCCO

Jackson told CNN she served 28 days in jail and was placed on five years of probation; she said she has a few months remaining on that probation term.

Public Reaction And Jackson’s Response

Jackson says she has faced online harassment and criticism from far-right accounts and some media outlets since the livestream surfaced. She maintains that her presence at the demonstration was motivated by concern for her mother’s health and that the most inflammatory line was sarcastic. "What happened to us was traumatic," she said. "It's very traumatizing, like the things that we went through and the things that people are saying."

Note: This account summarizes interviews Jackson gave to CNN and reporting based on publicly available livestream footage and official statements. Some details — including whether the family vehicle was definitively trapped — have not been independently confirmed.