The 37-year-old woman shot dead by an ICE agent on Wednesday had been "stalking and impeding" federal law enforcement officers all day, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. Renee Nicole Good was shot dead by an ICE agent during a chaotic protest in a Minneapolis neighborhood, where authorities say she tried to ram an officer with her car.
The shooting occurred just a mile from the spot where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020, a connection that has intensified public emotion and scrutiny. Good had spent hours following and interfering with the agency's "lawful operations" in the hours leading to her death, Noem said at a press conference.
Obstructing the Law
The DHS secretary said an SUV pulled up to an ICE vehicle that had gotten stuck in the snow, amid what she described as a group of protesters who had been harassing agents throughout the day and trying to block their movements.
ICE officers approached the driver — later identified as Good — and told her to move the vehicle, Noem said. She claimed Good instead chose to "weaponize her vehicle," accusing her of deliberately trying to kill or seriously injure federal agents.
Noem went on to condemn the incident as an "act of domestic terrorism," saying it was one of three such attacks that she alleged occurred in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
It remains unclear where or when the other alleged "vehicle rammings" took place.
Both Noem and President Trump said the ICE agent who shot Good was hurt during the confrontation, adding to their justification of the officer's actions.
Noem said the agent was taken to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries and was later released. "The fact of the matter is, he's an experienced officer. He's been in situations like this before. And he certainly has been out there and followed his training today," Noem said at the press conference.
Blame Game Begins
Noem also said that the same officer had been "dragged by an anti-ICE rioter" in a similar ramming incident back in June. She added that, in recent weeks, there have been reports of more than 100 such vehicle attacks targeting federal officers.
"It's clear that it's being coordinated. People are being trained and told how to use their vehicles to impede law enforcement operations, and then to run over anybody who gets in their way, while they go out there and try to disrupt peace and public safety. Americans deserve better," Noem said.
Noem said she has requested that the Justice Department treat cases of anti-ICE ramming attacks as acts of domestic terrorism and pursue prosecutions accordingly.
