ICE shooting of Renee Good exposes dangers of unchecked federal force
Renee Good’s death raises questions about self-defense, de-escalation and the growing normalization of aggressive enforcement in civilian spaces.
By M.J Cameron
On Jan. 7, Renee Good was fatally shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Johnathan Ross in Minneapolis. As news of the shooting spread nationwide, debate emerged over how self-defense is defined when used by federal law enforcement officers.
Videos of the encounter quickly circulated on social media, including footage posted by multiple witnesses on social media and a video from Ross. The recordings show agents attempting to remove Good from her vehicle during a tense confrontation.
The footage raises serious questions about whether the use of deadly force was justified. Witness videos show an agent pulling on Good’s driver-side door while shouting at her. In Ross’ own footage shared by NBC, Good does not appear to display malicious intent toward the agent.
“That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you.” Good said in the video
For civilians, being approached aggressively by an unknown individual attempting to force open a car door can reasonably be perceived as a threat. In such situations, attempting to flee may be a natural response according to Mindscape.
Based on witness videos, the ICE vehicle was unmarked, a tactic used for effective surveillance according to Medium. However, unmarked vehicles are visually similar to civilian cars. In the videos, Good appears to gesture for the vehicle to go around her after the first car did. A calmer approach or clear identification by agents may have prevented the escalation that followed.
Even if everything happened the same, the decision to use deadly force remains difficult to justify. Less-lethal alternatives were available, and firing a weapon at Good represented the most extreme response possible. Autopsy reports shared by NBC News report that Good was shot three times. She was struck on her left forearm, her right breast and the third shot struck her temple entering the left side and exiting out the right.
The shooting is not an isolated incident of ICE abusing their power. In Sept. 2025, Broadview, Illinois saw significant protests against Operation Midway Blitz, a multi-agency immigration enforcement surge. On Sept. 26, Broadview’s Mayor Katrina Thompson sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stop the deployment of chemical arms, such as tear gas and pepper spray against American citizens according to Block Club Chicago.
Block Club Chicago also reported the increasing use of tear gas, flash bangs and other weapons against peaceful protestors and journalists by ICE the following day in retaliation to the letter. 11 people were also arrested at the ICE facility.
On Dec. 31, 2025, Keith Porter Jr. was shot and killed by an off-duty U.S. ICE agent at an in Northridge, Los Angeles. Porter had fired celebratory gunshots into the air during New Year’s celebrations when Brian Palacios, an ICE agent who lives in the same complex, fatally shot him, according to court documents cited by ABC7. A spokesperson for DHS said that Palacios was forced to use his weapon defensively while responding to an active shooter.
The Guardian reported that the incident remains unclear as there’s no footage of the shooting. Porter’s family and local activists argued that contrary to DHS’s portrayal of events, Porter wasn’t threatening anyone and was celebrating the new year. Based on ICE’s history, this abuse of power is escalating from harming citizens to killing them fast. Just because federal agents have access to weapons, it doesn’t mean it’s necessary to use them.
What makes the killing of Good troubling is not only the loss of life, but the normalization of aggressive federal enforcement tactics in civilian spaces. ICE agents operate with broad authority and limited transparency, and while these tactics may be justified as necessary for enforcement efficiency, they blur the line between law enforcement and intimidation.
Fox 9 reported that supporters of Ross have framed the shooting as an act of self-defense, citing Good’s attempt to drive away as a threat. But self-defense, particularly by trained federal agents, carries a higher legal and ethical threshold. Federal officers are expected to de-escalate situations, identify themselves clearly and exhaust nonlethal options before using deadly force according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ states in 1-16.200 that the use of deadly force may not be used to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect or to disable moving vehicles, making the decision by Ross to shoot at Good not just an abuse of law enforcement status, but illegal in the eyes of the DOJ.
The footage and recent video analysis from The New York Times surrounding Good’s death raises serious questions. Deadly force is meant to be a last resort, and attempting to flee a confusing and threatening encounter is not an act of violence. It is a human response to fear.
Without meaningful oversight, incidents like this will continue. Federal agencies, including ICE, must be held to the same standards of transparency and restraint expected of any law enforcement body operating in the U.S.
Good’s death should not be dismissed as an unfortunate outcome of enforcement. It should force a national reckoning with how power is exercised and how easily civilian lives can be lost when authority goes unchecked.
