37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Jan.7 in South Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation.
Witnesses reported that a woman got into a red vehicle with one ICE agent on either side of the vehicle, attempting to get in. A third ICE agent tried to tug the driver’s side door open. One of the agents on the driver’s side backed away from the vehicle and then proceeded to open fire, shooting three times through the driver’s side window and ultimately striking Good in the head.
According to FOX News, federal officials have claimed ICE officers were “conducting targeted operations” when “rioters” blocked officers. One of the “rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), along with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, has categorized the agent’s violence as “self-defense” and said he was following ICE training. Noem later stated in a press conference that Good was allegedly using her car as a “deadly weapon” and that it was an “act of domestic terrorism”.
As of Jan. 8, the shooting is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) exclusively. Originally, the FBI was working in accordance with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on a joint investigation; however, the federal agency determined the BCA would no longer be on the case, have access to any case materials, scene evidence, or conduct an independent investigation.
People across the nation are outraged by the recent killing of Good. Communities have come together to form protests demanding the removal of federal immigration authorities. In Minneapolis, thousands of people gathered outside federal buildings, along residential streets, and in parks, holding signs and chanting Good’s name. The community is grieving their loss by constructing a memorial filled with photos and flowers to remember Goods’ name and life.
“When I saw what happened in Minneapolis, I was really upset and disturbed,” senior Adela Hanic said. “It just felt wrong that a woman ended up dead in that situation, especially with the conflicting accounts about what actually happened and videos people are sharing.It made me uncomfortable and angry that something like that could occur, and I think it deserves real accountability and answers.”
The response to Good’s killing is loud. Protests have unfolded across the nation. From Los Angeles and New York to Washington, D.C. and Boston. More than 1,000 demonstrations were planned this weekend by the “ICE out for good” coalition.
Communities across the nation have been fighting against and exposing ICE’s months-long abuse of power and violence. After the killing of Good, more and more people have joined in on the protest against ICE’s inhumane actions.
