Protests occurred in different pockets of the United States on Wednesday and into Thursday following the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis resident committed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
The victim was 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a mother of three and a recent transplant of Kansas City, Missouri. Good, according to her ex-husband, had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school prior to the incident that was met with outrage by those who said Good did nothing wrong to elicit such a reaction from law enforcement. Top Trump administration officials, supported by the president himself, deemed her actions leading up the shooting “an act of domestic terrorism.”
“Let the investigation play out and hold people accountable based on the investigation.” – White House Border Czar Tom Homan
A video that first circulated on social media shows two agents near Good’s vehicle, one near the driver’s side door and appearing to grab the handle. As Good is seen reversing her vehicle, turning her wheels and pulling forward, another officer situated in front of the car pulled out his weapon and fired at least two close-range shots inside the vehicle.
Good can be seen then losing control of the vehicle and crashing into the back of a parked vehicle a few feet down the street. Bystanders in the video can be heard screaming and yelling profanities at ICE agents.
‘Investigation Just Started’
In the almost immediate aftermath of the fatal shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headed by Secretary Kristi Noem issued a statement on social media claiming Good “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism.”
“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots,” the statement read. “He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers.”
Video and images of the ICE agent who purportedly shot Good have widely circulated online and in media outlets.
However, White House Border Czar Tom Homan seemed to separate himself from Noem, DHS by advocating for an investigation to reach completion.
“The investigation has just started,” Homan told CBS Evening News host Tony Dokoupil on Wednesday evening after he was asked to comment on the circulated video of the incident. “I’m not gonna make a judgment call on one video when there’s a hundred videos out there. I wasn’t on the scene, I’m not an officer that may have bodycam video.
“It’d be unprofessional to comment on what I think happened in that situation. Let the investigation play out and hold people accountable based on the investigation.”
Asked in a follow-up question by Dokoupil why he has urged patience as the investigation plays out while DHS issued its swift statement, Homan told him, “That’s a question for Homeland Security.”
“What good is it to do right now to pre-judge the facts of what happened without giving law enforcement professionals, whether it’s the FBI or the local police there, give them time to look at all the videos, talk to all of the witnesses, talk to the officers, and make an educated decision on what occurred today?” Homan said.
He added: “That’s what needs to happen. I’ve been a cop since 1984, and it’s a process we must go through.”
Trump, Victim’s Mother Make Statements
President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post written after the shooting, called the situation “horrible” but referred to the victim as a “professional agitator.”
The president doubled down on the DHS statement of the incident, saying, “The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense.”
“Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital,” Trump added, though the video most widely circulated proves antithetical to such statements.
It’s unknown if other videos and angles of the shooting exist, which may play out in the investigatory phase.
Trump also blamed the “Radical Left,” who he called “full of violence and hate” for “threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis.”
Donna Ganger, the victim’s mother, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the family was notified of the death late Wednesday morning.
“Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” Ganger said. “She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being.”
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