The Trump administration on Friday reacted to new video footage that shows the moment a Minnesota woman struck a federal agent with her SUV before he shot her dead through her windshield. The White House argues the footage vindicates the officer, proving he acted in self defense.
Vice President JD Vance and others in the administration said newly-released cell phone video footage from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who killed Renee Good, 37, showed that his “life was endangered, and he fired in self-defense.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the same, alleging the footage proves the ICE agent “defended himself from being run over” by Good, who was driving an SUV. “Trump was right,” she said.
A federal investigation into Good’s death is playing out amid widespread debate as to the circumstances of the incident and whether the lethal force was warranted.
Videos depicting the deadly incident from different angles have social users issuing an array of differing perspectives as to whether the ICE agent and his colleagues unnecessarily escalated the situation and were too “trigger-happy,” or if they were genuinely in fear of their lives and of being “rammed” by Good’s vehicle, as the Trump administration has argued.
That debate played out over the latest video released on Friday.
Some echoed the Trump administration’s take on the cell-phone footage the ICE agent recorded during the incident, which shows Good and her wife yelling at and taunting the officers moments before the incident. Her wife can be heard telling Good to drive ahead just before Good struck the officer with her SUV.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and others argued the shooting was justified because Good failed to comply with law enforcement, instead striking an officer with her SUV as agents demanded she get out of her vehicle and stop impeding on their immigration enforcement activities.
Good was “clearly provoking and escalating the situation,” “slammed on the accelerator directly into the officer,” and “hit” him “HARD,” according to many on social media. The videos prove that Good “speeds directly into the officer,” who had “a split second to decide” what to do, they allege.
“Everyone has the right to protest, but they should not interfere with law enforcement, ever — especially using their vehicle to try and block them from doing their job,” Lawler said. “She sought to drive off and accelerated quickly, hitting the officer with her car.”
On the other side, users questioned if Ross was truly “in fear of his life” and “rammed” by the car, expressing concern over his saying “f****** bitch,” after shooting Good. They argue Good likely did not have murderous intent, saying footage indicates she backed her car up and “aggressively” turned her steering wheel to apparently avoid hitting officers. Others, however, have suggested she was straightening her wheel to face the officer in front of her, as footage shows her wheels pointing right at the officer when they first start turning — spinning out due to ice on the road. Critics have also questioned why Ross apparently held onto his cell phone during the entire encounter, arguing that “shooting one-handed is not ideal.”
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“What this tells us: both parties appear to be at fault for initiating a confrontation and escalating it,” one user wrote.
“The officer likely was mildly injured and became very angry. This video alone doesn’t establish where he was positioned when he fired the shots, but the cumulative evidence we have at this time (other footage and eyewitness testimony) undercuts the self-defense theory,” the user added. “The fact that the officer cursed at Good after firing the shots is also evidence that he acted in anger rather than self-defense.”