MINNEAPOLIS — Hundreds of people protested in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, as anger spilled into the streets and officials pressed for answers about the investigation.
Protesters marched in freezing rain Thursday, chanting “ICE out now” and holding signs including “killer ice off our streets.” Some demonstrators protested earlier outside a federal facility described as a hub for the administration’s latest immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The unrest came as federal officers carried out another shooting in Portland, Oregon. That shooting occurred outside a hospital in the afternoon, leaving two people wounded, and the FBI and the Oregon Department of Justice were investigating. Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council called on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation is completed.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security defended the Portland actions, saying the incident occurred after a Venezuelan man with alleged gang ties tried to “weaponize” his vehicle to hit officers. It was not yet clear whether witness video corroborates that account.
In Minneapolis, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump and others in the administration characterized Good’s death as an act of self-defense and cast her as a villain. Vice President JD Vance said the shooting was justified and described Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, as a “victim of left-wing ideology.”
Vance also said, “I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it is a tragedy of her own making,” adding that the officer who killed her was injured while making an arrest last June. But local officials and protesters rejected that framing. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said video recordings show the self-defense argument is “garbage.”
The shooting happened on the second day of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on Minneapolis and St. Paul. Homeland Security said the operation was the biggest immigration enforcement effort ever, with Noem saying more than 2,000 officers were taking part and that they had made more than 1,500 arrests.
The episode produced a rapid local response in a city that police killed George Floyd in 2020. Hundreds of people turned up at the scene to vent their outrage, and the school district canceled classes for the rest of the week as a precaution. Good’s death also resonated beyond Minnesota, with protests taking place or expected in other major U.S. cities this week.
Protester Shanta Hejmadi said, “We should be horrified,” and added that “We should be saddened that our government is waging war on our citizens.” At the scene, protesters blocked the street where Good was shot with makeshift barricades constructed from garbage cans, Christmas trees and canopies, offering coffee and water while fires burned in metal drums to keep visitors warm.
Questions also sharpened about who would investigate the officer-involved killing. Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Thursday it was informed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department would not work with the state agency, effectively ending Minnesota’s role in determining whether crimes were committed. Drew Evans, head of the bureau, said, “Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands.”
Gov. Tim Walz demanded that Minnesota be allowed to take part and said it would be “very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept a process excluding the state. Walz also said Noem was “judge, jury and basically executioner” during her public comments, while Frey told The Associated Press, “We want to make sure that there is a check on this administration to ensure that this investigation is done for justice, not for the sake of a cover-up.”
Video recorded by bystanders showed multiple angles of the shooting south of downtown. The recordings show an officer approaching a Honda Pilot stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. As the Honda Pilot began to pull forward, a different ICE officer stood in front of it, pulled a weapon and immediately fired at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moved toward him. It was not clear from the videos whether the vehicle made contact with the officer or whether Good had interactions with agents earlier.
The footage also showed the Honda Pilot speeding into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop. Conditions were not immediately known in the Portland case, and in Minneapolis the investigation questions took center stage amid competing characterizations of what happened.
Records obtained by The Associated Press identified the federal agent who fatally shot Good as an Iraq War veteran who served for almost two decades in Border Patrol and ICE. Noem had not publicly named him, but a Homeland Security spokesperson said her description of his injuries last summer referred to an incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, in which court documents identify him as Jonathan Ross.
The report said Ross, 43, had his arm stuck in the window of a vehicle driven by someone fleeing arrest on an immigration violation, and he was dragged about 100 yards before being knocked free. Prosecutors said Ross fired a Taser, but the prongs did not incapacitate the driver, and Ross was transported to a hospital, where a jury later found the driver guilty of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. The report said attempts to reach Ross were not successful, and that DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the officer was selected for ICE’s special response team, including a 30-hour tryout and additional training.