Tensions continue to mount over the Minneapolis ICE shooting of U.S. citizen and Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good. Protests and vigils are occurring nationwide. The FBI has taken over the investigation and a top Minnesota investigative agency reports it has been “blocked from accessing key materials” concerning the shooting.
Vice President JD Vance has publicly stated the ICE officer who shot Good with be “protected by absolute immunity.” This statement was challenged by Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, “This concept of absolute immunity is pretty bizarre, very concerning. It’s extremely concerning. That’s why we’re asking for the BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) to be part of the investigation.”
During a news conference, Mary Moriarty, Hannepin county attorney, stated, “the ICE officer does not have complete immunity here.” Michael J.Z. Mannheimmer is a constitutional law expert at Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law and he told CNN, the idea of absolute immunity for crimes committed on the job is “absolutely ridiculous.”
According to Mannheimmer, state prosecutors can pursue criminal charges against federal officers for their conduct while carrying out their duties. It is up to the courts to determine if they receive immunity.
Trump Administration Response
Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries called Kristi Noem, homeland security secretary, a “stone cold liar” for referring to 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, the Minneapolis shooting victim, and “domestic terrorist.” Noem also said Good was “stalking and impeding” ICE agents and that Good weaponized her car trying to run down the officer who killed her.
Frey referred to Noem’s statements as “bullshit.” While Walz stated, “People in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice-president, to Kristi Noem… [They have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate.”
After the news broke of the fatal shooting, Tricia McLaughlin took to X claiming “one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them – an act of domestic terrorism.” McLaughlin is the assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. She insisted multiple ICE agents had been injured even though videos of the incident did not corroborate her story.
Trump stated on Truth Social and during an interview, “she didn’t try to run him over, she ran him over.” Other posts made by the U.S. president are as follows:
“…the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer.”
“She behave horribly. And then she ran him over. She didn’t try to run him over. She ran him over.”
“It is hard to believe he is alive, but [he] is now recovering in the hospital.”
McLaughlin took to social media posting, “An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots… The ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.”
During a White House press briefing, Vance continued the false narrative accusing Good of being “brainwashed by left-wing ideology and determined to kill” a federal agent, as reported by The Guardian. He also stated that those who believed Good was innocent should “be ashamed.”
Jesse Watters with Fox News attacked Good’s personal life addressing her “pronouns in her bio” and pointing out she “leaves behind a lesbian partner and a child from a previous marriage.”
Response to False Narratives
Political commentator Andrew Egger wrote in a column for Bulwark that he does not understand how this people live with themselves and question if they have a conscience. “McLaughlin and her ilk have learned how to manipulate the social media environment in which these stories filter down to the American people,” he wrote.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Walz stated, “Renee Good, Minnesotans will tell her life story. Minnesotans will be there to defend her honor and see this as a human being, not a moment in time, or the callous casualness that I’ve watched some people on TV gloss over what they saw.”
By Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
CNN: Minneapolis officials push to join investigation as tensions remain high after deadly ICE shooting; LIVE UPDATES: Tensions flare after fatal Minneapolis shooting
The Guardian: Trump administration unleashes torrent of untruths after woman shot dead by ICE; Minneapolis mayor accuses federal authorities of ‘hiding facts’ in ICE killing
Featured Image Courtesy of hwhoo-hwhare’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
