A Minneapolis woman was shot and killed Wednesday when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fired a bullet through the windshield of her Honda SUV amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the city.
Video shows an ICE agent approaching a vehicle blocking a roadway in a residential neighborhood south of downtown, roughly a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in May 2020. As the SUV began to drive away from the scene, a shot fired into the vehicle struck the driver in the head, killing her, police said.
The victim’s mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the woman killed was her 37-year-old daughter, Renee Nicole Good. She claimed Good was “probably terrified” when confronted by ICE agents and didn’t know her to be a part of any aggressive protests against them.
Her family, who was notified of Good’s death late Wednesday morning, said she leaves behind a partner and a 6-year-old son. Minneapolis City Councilmember Jason Chavez said Good was a U.S. citizen who was only “watching out for our immigrant neighbors.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed during an afternoon press conference in Texas that the driver tried using her vehicle to run over ICE agents who were stuck in the snow, describing her actions as an “act of domestic terrorism.”
“An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot to protect himself and the people around him,” Noem said.
President Trump echoed those sentiments in a post on Truth Social.
“I have just viewed the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a horrible thing to watch,” the president said.
He described the gunshot victim as a “very disorderly” woman who “violently, willfully and viciously ran over the ICE officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense.” Trump claimed the ICE agent is now recovering in a hospital.
However, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the claims of self-defense a “bulls–t” narrative after seeing video of the shooting, and expressed outrage over the federal deployment of immigration officers to Minneapolis and St. Paul.
“They are not here to cause safety in this city,” he raged. “They’re sowing chaos on our streets and in this case, quite literally killing people.”
Frey demanded that ICE agents “get the f— out of Minneapolis” and insisted his constituents don’t want federal officers on their city streets.
The DHS announced on Tuesday that more than 2,000 agents and officers would begin immigration operations in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Their activities coincide with fraud allegations against many members of Minnesota’s Somali community, who stand accused of scamming Housing Stabilization Services.
Tensions spiked in recent weeks after President Trump referred to Somalis, including Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, as “garbage” and vowed to send them “back to where they came from.” Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the United States.
In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, a surge of protesters joined those who were already on hand to express their anger at the presence of federal officers in Minneapolis. They chanted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!” while staying behind police tape.
Gov. Tim Walz told Minnesotans that he understood their rage, while calling for peaceful defiance of the Trump administration.
“They want a show. We can’t give it to them. We cannot,” the governor said during a press conference, while indicating he could deploy the National Guard to protect his state should peacekeepers become necessary.
Minneapolis previously became the epicenter of nationwide demonstrations that erupted after Floyd was murdered while being detained by police who believed he had used a counterfeit bill in a grocery store. Former cop Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in connection to Floyd’s death. Three other officers were convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights due to their conduct during his detainment.
On Wednesday, there were calls across social media to similarly prosecute the officer who killed Good, but authorities said such a decision would not be made until an investigation is complete by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The fatal shooting of Good marks at least the fifth death to result from the violent immigration crackdown launched by the Trump administration last year. No officers or agents have been charged in any of the earlier killings.
With News Wire Services
