Fatal shooting by ICE agent in Minneapolis raises questions about officers firing at moving vehicles
fatal shooting of a woman A speech by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday brought a long-standing and deeply debated question back into the national spotlight: When can a law enforcement officer be justified in using lethal force against someone in a moving vehicle?
The killing, captured on cellphone video, revealed stark divisions between federal and local authorities. It also renewed scrutiny of use-of-force rules that many police departments adopted decades ago to reduce the risk of bystanders being shot or drivers losing control in a shooting. While federal authorities quickly defended the agent’s actions, local leaders said the attack was unjustified.
At the center of the debate are policies that have for years sharply limited when police officers can fire at vehicles; generally prohibits shooting at fleeing cars unless the driver poses an imminent threat of deadly force beyond the vehicle. Those restrictions, adopted by many major police agencies and reflected in federal guidelines, were aimed at curbing what experts have long warned is some of the most dangerous and unpredictable uses of deadly force.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the incident an “act of domestic terrorism” and said the agent acted in self-defense and to protect other officers.
Here’s a look at how and why police departments are taking action to restrict shootings at moving vehicles, what those policies generally require, how they’re enforced, and how recent events, including the Minneapolis case, are testing the limits of rules for balancing officer safety with public risk.
Why do many police departments limit shooting at moving vehicles?
For decades, police departments across the U.S. have limited the amount of time officers are allowed to shoot at moving vehicles, citing the risk of bystander danger and the risk that the driver who is shot will lose control.
The New York City Police Department was among the first major agencies to adopt these limits. The department banned officers from shooting at or from moving vehicles after a 1972 shooting that killed a 10-year-old passenger in a stolen car and sparked protests.
Researchers in the late 1970s and early 1980s later found that this policy, along with other use-of-force restrictions, helped reduce bystander exposure to police fire and led to fewer deaths in police shootings.
Over the years, many law enforcement agencies have followed New York’s lead. Police organizations such as the Police Executive Research Forum and the International Association of Chiefs of Police have recommended similar restrictions, warning that shooting into vehicles poses serious risks from stray gunfire or the vehicle crashing if the driver is struck.
on wednesday pullIn the videos, it is seen that the vehicle continues to move down the street and crashes into two other vehicles. It was not clear from the video whether the vehicle made contact with the officer before he stepped to the side.
What does federal policy say about shooting at vehicles?
Federal law enforcement agencies operate under similar guidance.
The Department of Justice says in its Justice Handbook that firearms should not be used solely to disable a moving vehicle. The policy allows deadly force only in limited circumstances, such as when someone in the vehicle threatens another person with deadly force or if the vehicle itself is being used in a way that creates an imminent risk and no reasonable alternative is available, including moving out of the vehicle’s path.
At a news conference Wednesday evening, Noem said that any death is a tragedy but that the attack was justified.
“Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he was taught in this situation, and took action to defend himself and other law enforcement officers,” Noem said.
He claimed that the murdered woman tried to block off police officers with her vehicle, harassed them throughout the day, and “tried to run over the law enforcement officer” before she was shot. He said the FBI is handling the investigation into the shooting.
Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina, said authorities should take a step back before making any statements.
“There needs to be two comprehensive parallel investigations,” he said. “First, ICE officials should administratively investigate whether this agent violated policy or training. Then, state officials should conduct a full criminal investigation.”
Determining whether the use of force was justified or criminal would depend on many details not publicly disclosed, he said. However, he expressed concerns about whether the incident that triggered the incident was a traffic-related issue and whether federal agents have the authority and training to conduct this type of interaction with the public.
“Local police are trained to de-escalate situations like this, and I have questions about who this person was, whether they knew him, why one of the officers ran to the car and yelled. There are still a lot of questions,” Alpert said.
Increase in deadly encounters with federal agents
The shooting of the woman, identified by family members as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, occurred as Homeland Security intensified immigration enforcement operations by deploying 2,000 agents and officers in Minnesota. This is the latest in a growing number of violent encounters between ICE agents and community members and is at least the fifth fatality.
In October, a Chicago woman was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in a similar incident involving a vehicle. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old teacher’s assistant at a Montessori school, survived and was almost immediately labeled a “domestic terrorist” by Homeland Security officials, who said in media statements that she “ambushed” and “crashed” agents with her vehicle.
He was charged with assaulting a federal officer, but federal prosecutors were later forced to do so. dismiss The incident occurred after surveillance video and body camera footage emerged showing a Border Patrol agent steering his vehicle toward Martinez’s truck.
What do education experts say about moving vehicle policies?
The debate over shooting at moving vehicles has been further sharpened by high-profile cases, including one. Shooting in Ohio in 2023 In the incident, a police officer shot through the windshield of a car while investigating an allegation of theft in the parking lot of a supermarket. Pregnant driver killed; the officer was later charged and acquitted.
John P. Gross, a University of Wisconsin Law School professor who has written extensively about officers shooting at moving vehicles, said officer training also needs to improve, although more departments are adding clear policies regarding use of force and moving vehicles.
“If this woman is blocking the street and there’s a law enforcement operation going on, they have the right to arrest her. What they don’t have the right to do is use deadly force to arrest her,” Gross said. “Just watching the video, this seems like a terrible example.”
Officers must consider the totality of a situation, the crime or allegation against someone, whether they can be found at a later date or whether there is a real danger, he said.
“Based on the video, it looks like the officer fires as he walks past her. At this point, she’s not a threat, so why would you shoot?” he said.
