Protests grow across Minneapolis after an ICE agent shot and killed a protester Wednesday morning. Public schools cancelled classes for the day out of an abundance of caution, as state officials call for calm.
Meanwhile, questions continue over the situation and events that led to the shooting. Given the volatility and sheer politics of the situation, there are very different accounts of those final moments.
On top of that, the deployment of as many as 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis has resulted in frustration and anger from the local community. Wednesday’s shooting has significantly escalated those feelings.
“The ICE officer, fearing for his life, and the other officers around him and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video of myself, I want to tell everybody directly. That is bulls**t,” fired back Minneapolis Mayor, Jacob Frey.
The incident unfolded amidst a crowd of protesters when a convoy of ICE agents got stuck in the snow. In videos taken by eyewitnesses, you can see federal agents demanding that 37-year-old Renee Good exit her SUV.
DHS officials maintain that Good had followed agents around, attempting to impede their work, and that she was using her vehicle to block them in.
In the video, she appears to slowly reverse, and when an agent grabs the door, she apparently accelerates. That’s when the agent near the front of her vehicle fires. Moments later, the SUV crashes into a parked car.
“The officer was hit by the vehicle. She hit him. He went to the hospital. A doctor treated him. He has been released, but he’s going to spend some time with his family,” said Sec. Noem.
Eyewitness Emily Heller shared a different perspective on CNN.
“They approached her vehicle, aggressively grabbed…tried to open her door, then that’s when she got spooked and she reversed her vehicle to try to turn her wheels to try to escape and that’s when an ICE agent stepped in front of her vehicle and said, ‘Stop,’ and she was already moving, and then point blank shot her through her windshield,” she recounted.
Overnight, hundreds gathered to remember Good. The FBI is investigating the shooting, but Gov. Tim Walz shared Thursday that the state is not being allowed to participate.
The White House reiterated Thursday that the entire administration stands behind ICE and its efforts to uphold law and order. Vice President JD Vance is also shining new light on the agent involved in the shooting, saying he was seriously injured six months ago after being dragged by a car during a law enforcement operation.
The Vice President went on to accuse Good of being part of a broader left-wing network of radicals, working to prevent federal agents from doing their jobs.
Gov. Walz accused the administration of acting as “judge, jury, and executioner,” in this case. He’s calling for a fair investigation, involving the state of Minnesota.
