Minneapolis shooting: Anger against ICE boils, White House unmoved
Protest organizers said they expected to stage more than a thousand weekend demonstrations following the killing of 37-year-old driver Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday.
Authorities in the midwestern state of Minnesota said law enforcement was excluded from the investigation into the shooting.
Federal investigators recovered Good’s car and bullet casings from the scene, a local prosecutor said Friday.
The Trump administration has sought to portray Good as a “domestic terrorist” and insisted that the agent who fatally shot him acted in self-defense.
Cellphone footage taken by the officer who fired the fatal shots shows him approaching Good’s car and interacting with Good as he drove in a circle, and Good said, “I’m not mad at you.”
After passing in front of the car, another agent can be heard ordering Good to exit the vehicle before he attempts to drive away and gunshots are heard. The agent who shot the video can be heard saying “fucking bitch” at the end of the clip.
The White House insisted that the video lends weight to the officer’s claim of self-defense; However, the clip does not show the moment the car drove away or the moment he opened fire.
“This is not the time to bend the rules. It is the time to follow the law… It is deeply troubling that Pam Bondi’s Justice Department and this presidential administration have already reached a conclusion about these facts,” Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a briefing on Friday.
“We know they’ve already identified most of the investigation,” he said, adding that the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, within the department of public safety, conducts such investigations on an ongoing basis.
“Why not involve them in the process?” said Frey.
On Thursday, US Vice President J.D. Vance said the ICE officer identified in US media as Jonathan Ross had “absolute immunity”; this claim was disputed by local prosecutors.
Court records reviewed by AFP showed that in June 2025, Ross was dragged 100 yards (91 meters) along a road by a car driven by a man who was the subject of immigration enforcement activities.
“When the FBI and federal agencies say they won’t share evidence with local authorities, the public can’t trust that this will be a true, transparent investigation,” said local Patrick O’Shaughnessy, 43.
‘To leave’
Minnesota officials said local investigators were initially invited by the FBI to join the investigation into Good’s shooting, but were later prevented from participating.
Good was one of four people killed by ICE since Trump launched his crackdown on immigrants.
Good’s wife, Becca Good, told the local press that they went to the site of immigration enforcement to “support our neighbors.”
“We had whistles. They had guns,” he said.
“Our goal should be to complete a thorough investigation at the local level,” said local prosecutor Mary Moriarty, Hennepin County prosecutor.
“The FBI has, for example, Ms. Good’s car, bullet casings and witness interviews.”
Moriarty has launched an online evidence portal calling for submissions so all available leads can be compiled.
The rift between local and federal officials widened further on Friday when U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins suspended $129.2 million in payments under federal fiscal agriculture awards, according to a letter published in X.
While federal authorities have publicly clashed with Minnesota officials over allegations that Somali immigrants engaged in large-scale fraud to obtain funds for the public good, Rollins accused local officials of “ignoring” the problem.
Protest action continued Friday, with hundreds of people gathering at a federal facility that has become the focal point of anti-ICE demonstrations and at least one arrest.
Federal immigration officers armed with pepper spray and tear gas clashed with the raucous crowd.
Multiple nonprofits and advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), are planning hundreds more protests on Saturday and Sunday.
