A U.S. immigration agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis on Wednesday during an immigration enforcement surge, according to local and federal officials, the latest violence in President Donald Trump’s nationwide crackdown on migrants.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey strongly rejected the Trump administration’s claim that the agent acted in self-defense, saying video footage of the incident contradicted the federal government’s account.
“They’re already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense,” Frey said angrily at a press conference. “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly – that is bullshit.”
Frey accused federal immigration agents of creating instability in the city and demanded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leave Minneapolis, though he urged residents to remain calm. Democratic leaders in Minnesota and Washington also criticized the operation, calling it an unnecessary provocation that led to a tragedy.
The Minnesota City Council identified the woman as Renee Nicole Good, describing her as someone who had been “out caring for her neighbors” when she was killed. The council demanded ICE immediately withdraw from the city.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said ICE officers had been responding to a vehicle stuck in the snow when they were harassed by what she described as a “mob of agitators.”
Noem said Good followed the agents throughout the day, blocked their vehicle and refused orders to move. She alleged that Good then attempted to use her vehicle as a weapon.
“She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle, and she attempted to run a law enforcement officer over,” Noem told reporters, claiming the car struck an officer. She described the incident as “domestic terrorism” and said it was under investigation by the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI). State officials said they would conduct their own inquiry.
Videos of the shooting posted on social media and verified by an international media outlet raised questions about the federal account. One widely shared clip shows a maroon Honda SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) partially blocking a residential street. The driver inches forward, then stops to allow another vehicle to pass.
With the driver’s window down, she appears to gesture for a pickup truck to proceed. Instead, the truck stops, and two officers exit and approach the SUV.
As one officer orders the driver out of the vehicle and reaches for the door handle, the SUV briefly reverses. A third agent moves in front of the car from the passenger side.
The driver then accelerates forward while steering to the right, appearing to attempt to drive away. The agent positioned in front of the SUV draws his weapon, steps back and fires as the vehicle’s left front bumper comes close to his legs.
Three shots are fired, including at least one after the bumper appears to have passed the officer. It is unclear from the video whether the vehicle made contact with him. The officer remains on his feet throughout the encounter.
After the shots, the SUV speeds away and crashes into parked cars and a utility pole.
Noem said the officer, whom she described as experienced, “followed his training.” She said he was treated at a hospital and later released.
Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter was “extremely compassionate” and unlikely to confront immigration agents.
“She’s taken care of people all her life,” Ganger said. “She was loving, forgiving and affectionate.”
Police said Good, who was married, was not a target of immigration enforcement. A nearby resident told an international media outlet that Good lived in the neighborhood.
The Department of Homeland Security said it is carrying out what it described as the “largest DHS operation ever” in Minnesota, with about 2,000 officers deployed to arrest individuals accused of serious crimes.
The surge follows allegations of large-scale welfare fraud involving some Somali immigrant groups. Noem said authorities had arrested 1,500 people in recent weeks.
Trump, in a social media post, said the video showed the woman “violently, willfully, and viciously” running over an ICE officer, who he said fired in self-defense.
The sharply different accounts underscored deep political polarization, with Trump supporters backing his narrative and critics disputing it.