Like most Americans, I was appalled to learn about the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Her actions were not a capital offense. I am also deeply perturbed about the rush to judgement in American media’s analysis of the situation and the premature conclusions reached, which seem to be based principally upon ideology rather than facts.
Clearly, many relevant facts have not been uncovered and there are more questions than answers. I want to ask some unanswered questions. As a CPA, I am somewhat skeptical but hopefully objective in how I view this tragedy. I realize that some people may not be comfortable with the questions I ask — particularly if those questions do not align with their preconceived notions of what the answers should be.
The American public has seen numerous video recordings of the actual shooting itself, but they are a small excerpt, perhaps taken out of context, of that day’s fateful events. What happened in the minutes, perhaps hours, before the shooting? Did Renee Good and her wife obstruct ICE agents or taunt them earlier before the released videos were recorded? If so, could that have agitated the ICE agents who confronted her?
I saw one report from a witness claiming that, before the published videos were recorded, another ICE agent purportedly asked Renee Good to move her vehicle and leave. She was parallel parked on an icy street and ostensibly had difficulty moving her car. As she was leaving the parking space, two ICE vehicles drove by (those were the vehicles that she waved by). When the third ICE vehicle stopped, they told her to get out of the car, using profanity that probably frightened her. If this is the case, is there a video supporting this narrative? Her car was parked perpendicular to the flow of traffic, indicating a lack of urgency in responding to the order to leave the scene.
Renee Good’s wife, Becca Good, can be seen mocking ICE agents before Renee was shot. If the Goods were leaving a parking space as suggested by that other witness, why was Becca taunting ICE agents?
Much has been said about ICE Agent John Ross, who fatally shot Mrs. Good, suggesting that he acted assertively because he previously had been hit by another vehicle and dragged down a street. Does Agent Ross have a propensity to position himself such that he is in greater danger of being hit?
Is firing at a driver good policy? It seems that ICE does that more often than other law enforcement agencies. On Oct. 21, Fox’s L.A. affiliate reported that an ICE agent opened fire on a driver in south central L.A. A bullet ricocheted and hit a deputy U.S. marshal. The narrative defending these actions typically states that the driver “weaponized the vehicle.”
According to ICE, Kristi Noem and JD Vance, Renee Good ostensibly weaponized her vehicle. The problem with that assertion is Good was turning her wheels to the right, away from the ICE agent, while moving at a slow speed. If she weaponized her vehicle, wouldn’t she have turned the wheels forward and accelerated toward Agent Ross?
Why doesn’t ICE provide its agents with body cameras? Unlike other law enforcement agencies, ICE (at least in Minneapolis) did not provide body cameras to its agents. Consequently, Ross held a gun in one hand while using his personal phone in the other hand to document the encounter. Using his cell phone potentially distracted him from getting out of the way of a slow-moving vehicle and from realizing that the driver was turning her steering wheel away from him.
Forensic examinations of auto accidents typically examine cell phone data for evidence of the sequence of events leading to the accident. I presume that Renee Good had a personal cell phone in her possession when she was shot. If so, what data did that phone record that may shed light on the incident?
Trump, Vance and Noem all released statements expressing conclusions about the shooting before all the facts were known. Those statements did not calm the situation, but rather were inflammatory. To be fair, Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey also did, but since doing so they have attempted to moderate the situation. Unfortunately, the premature conclusions will undoubtedly impair the credibility of any shooting investigation. So, why did governmental leaders express these premature conclusions?
These are just a few questions I have about the shooting. I am sure you have additional questions. My final question is whether we will ever know the answers.
Jim de Bree is a Valencia resident.
