Bradley Shaver, a 53-year-old rehired Border Patrol veteran assigned to Operation Metro Surge, accidentally discharged a Glock 19 inside a Hampton Inn in Eagan on Dec. 18. The round passed through his sweatshirt pocket, pierced a wall and lodged in the adjoining room’s headboard. Police seized the weapon and did not file charges; Shaver was reported as shaken and apologetic. Critics say the event highlights safety concerns about DHS’s rapid rehiring of federal agents.
Rehired ICE Agent Accidentally Fires Through Hotel Wall — Bullet Lodges in Neighbor’s Headboard
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
A rehired U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent accidentally discharged his service weapon inside a Hampton Inn in Eagan, Minn., on Dec. 18, sending a round through a wall that lodged in the headboard of the adjoining room.
What Happened
Bradley Shaver, 53, an Ohio-based Border Patrol veteran who retired in 2023 and was later rehired as part of an Operation Metro Surge deployment, was staying at the Hampton Inn when the incident occurred. According to a police report reviewed by Sahan Journal, Shaver was handling his Glock 19 and attempting to remove the backstrap — the grip piece on the rear of the handle — when the firearm discharged.
The bullet tore through Shaver’s sweatshirt pocket, passed through the dividing wall and came to rest in the headboard of the adjacent room at roughly stomach height.
Kristi Noem is widely known as 'ICE Barbie' due to photo ops like these. / Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Eyewitness Account and Police Response
Aaron Wukawitz, 32, of Brainerd, Minnesota, had just arrived and was walking toward his room when he heard the shot. He found Shaver visibly panicked in the neighboring room and reported that Shaver called a colleague, saying, "It just went off," according to Wukawitz.
"That could have literally killed me," Wukawitz told Sahan Journal. A concealed-carry permit holder who regularly carries a handgun, Wukawitz said he could not imagine how the weapon would discharge without a finger on the trigger.
Eagan police responded shortly before 6:30 p.m., collected Shaver's firearm and ammunition, and did not make an arrest or pursue criminal charges. Officers described Shaver as shaken and apologetic; he told police he had not experienced anything like this in his decades of law enforcement service.
Context and Reactions
Advocates and critics say the episode underscores safety concerns tied to a rapid DHS hiring push to refill ICE ranks. Megan Newcomb of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate group that has protested the deployment of federal agents, warned that hotel staff and visitors could be put at risk when rehired personnel are deployed quickly.
The Hampton Inn in Eagan, where the incident took place. / Hampton Inn
Reporting from outlets including the Daily Beast has described the recruitment effort as chaotic, with some rehired veterans arriving at assignments before receiving badges, computer access or issued equipment. Those reports also raised questions about the fitness of some applicants.
Background on Shaver
Shaver was one of roughly 3,000 federal agents sent to Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge. He was also named among several Ohio-based Border Patrol agents listed in a 2012 racial-profiling lawsuit; a federal judge ruled in 2016 that the conduct alleged in that case was not unconstitutional.
Next Steps
The Daily Beast has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment. The police report reviewed by Sahan Journal is a primary source for the timeline of the incident.
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