Minneapolis Shooting: Officials’ Account and Video Evidence Tell Diverging Stories

KRISTI NOEM’S PRESS CONFERENCE CONFLICTS WITH REALITY

MINNEAPOLIS — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s description of the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis sparked immediate debate on Wednesday, with local officials and bystander video offering a starkly different account from the one presented at her press conference.

Noem, speaking at a press event in Texas, labeled the incident “an act of domestic terrorism,” saying federal agents were engaged in an enforcement action when their vehicle became stuck in snow and a woman in a nearby SUV “attacked them” and attempted to “run them over and ram them with her vehicle.” She said an ICE officer fired in self-defense to protect himself and other officers. Noem urged the Department of Justice to treat such incidents as terrorism and underscored her support for the actions of the agent involved. (FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth)

The fatal encounter occurred on a residential street in south Minneapolis on Wednesday morning during a large-scale federal immigration operation. Federal authorities described the woman as a threat to officers, asserting the use of deadly force was justified. President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security spokespeople echoed that narrative, saying the woman’s vehicle “attempted to kill law enforcement officers” and that the responding ICE agent acted defensively. (Reuters)

But local officials and independent video footage tell a different story. Multiple clips recorded by bystanders show ICE agents approaching the woman’s SUV as it sat partially blocking the street. In several angles shared and reported by local media, an officer opened the driver’s door and another officer fired at the vehicle as it began to move away. There is no clear visual indication in the publicly released video that the vehicle struck an agent prior to the shots being fired. (FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, after viewing video from the scene, openly rejected the federal self-defense narrative, calling it a “garbage narrative” and saying it did not match what he saw. He demanded that ICE leave the city and called the characterization of the incident misleading. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also criticized the federal response and called for a thorough investigation. (FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul)

Eyewitnesses described the moments leading up to the shooting differently than the federal account. Some people on the scene said the woman attempted to drive away only after agents tried to open her car door, and that the shots were fired as the vehicle moved. Video appears to show an officer firing three times through the windshield and driver’s side window at close range as the SUV began to pull forward. (WBUR)

The woman, later identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Local law enforcement officials, including the police chief, noted that she was not the subject of an ICE investigation and that her presence in the street was not part of an enforcement action against her. (AP News)

The conflicting narratives have fueled public outrage and protests in Minneapolis, where residents and activists have criticized the federal operation and the use of force. Federal and state investigations have been launched to determine the facts of the case and whether the use of deadly force was justified.