A legal expert says it is unlikely the ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis will face criminal charges.
Good, 37, was killed on January 7 during an ICE operation amid rising tensions and protests over federal immigration raids in Minneapolis. Video shows her SUV surrounded by ICE officers before gunfire erupted, leaving the vehicle crashed with bullet holes in the windshield. Authorities claim Good “weaponized” her car and tried to strike an officer, prompting the shooting in self-defense, though the exact sequence of events remains disputed.
Vice President JD Vance publicly defended the officer, blaming Good and saying she attempted to obstruct a lawful operation and hit an officer with her vehicle. Local leaders strongly disagreed. Mayor Jacob Frey called the federal account “bulls***,” while Governor Tim Walz demanded a full and fair investigation.
Good, a U.S. citizen, poet, and mother of a six-year-old son, was remembered by family as compassionate and kind. Tributes poured in following her death.
Legal analyst Andrew C. McCarthy said prosecution is unlikely, arguing that if the officer reasonably believed he faced serious harm, deadly force was legally justified under federal law. The FBI has taken over the investigation, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the officer acted according to his training.