US President Donald Trump defended an ICE officer who fatally shot a 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, saying her actions justified the use of force, even as protests spread across the country.
BY PC Bureau
January 8, 2026: US President Donald Trump has defended an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, saying she was responsible for the incident because she attempted to run over a federal agent.
The shooting of Renee Nicole Good on Wednesday has triggered protests across several US cities and intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement operations.
Speaking to reporters hours after the incident, Trump said the woman’s actions justified the officer’s response. Asked whether firing into a vehicle was acceptable, he told The New York Times, “She behaved horribly,” adding that she had run over the officer. Trump later acknowledged the gravity of the incident, calling the footage of the shooting “violent” and “a terrible scene.”
After viewing video of the encounter, Trump said he did not like what had happened, describing it as “horrible to watch,” but maintained that the situation was dangerous.
ICE officer walks away unscathed.
Trump: The woman shot by the officer “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer”…”it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital” pic.twitter.com/KfZXLlzdhe
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) January 7, 2026
According to video footage circulating online, ICE agents approached a car stopped in the middle of a Minneapolis street. As the vehicle began to move, an officer pointed a firearm at the driver and at least two shots were fired. The car then appeared to lose control and crashed into a parked vehicle.
The Associated Press reported that Good’s death is at least the fifth fatality linked to the administration’s latest immigration crackdowns in major US cities.
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Vice President JD Vance also backed the officer, claiming he acted in self-defence. In a series of posts on social media, Vance alleged that Good attempted to strike the officer with her car while accelerating, describing her actions as deliberate and dangerous. He accused Democrats of politicising the incident and questioned whether critics believed the officer was wrong to defend his life.
Federal and local authorities, however, have offered sharply different versions of the events leading up to the shooting.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Good had been “stalking and impeding” ICE officers throughout the day and attempted to “weaponise her vehicle,” characterising the act as a form of domestic terrorism.
In contrast, the Minneapolis City Council said Good had been “caring for her neighbours” at the time of the incident. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz disputed the federal account and said a “full, fair, and expeditious investigation” would be conducted.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the woman was sitting inside her vehicle and blocking traffic on Portland Avenue when a federal officer approached her on foot. According to O’Hara, she then began to drive away, at which point the shooting occurred.
The incident remains under investigation amid mounting public pressure, protests, and demands for accountability.
