Retired ICE agent reviews deadly Minneapolis shooting video frame-by-frame, questions tactics used
Renee Nicole Good37, was in his SUV when federal immigration agents surrounded him Wednesday morning, at one point attempting to open his door. She was fatally shot when she tried to move forward. Videos from bystanders went viral on social media following the shooting.
When such incidents occur, law enforcement officers often say they are split-second decisions. THE latest policy for ICE and DHS agentswhich was last updated in 2023, gives only two acceptable reasons for an officer to fire a weapon at a moving vehicle: when the driver or someone inside the vehicle has a deadly weapon, or when the vehicle itself poses a threat and no other reasonable defensive options exist, including moving out of the way.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security said Wednesday that the officers involved acted in self-defense and that Good had “armed his vehicle.”
CBS News reviewed bystander video from the filming frame by frame with Éric Balliet, retired ICE agent to discuss the tactics used. He spent a quarter century in federal law enforcement and was injured in a 2008 traffic attack.
Did the agents identify themselves?
Baillet said one of the first things that struck him in the video of Wednesday’s shooting was that he didn’t hear the officers identify themselves.
“I don’t hear anyone saying, ‘Hey, police!'” Balliet said.
The agent who opened fire was part of an ICE enforcement and removal operations team, which was part of a influx of 2,000 federal agents sent to the Twin Cities area in recent days.
Where were the officers
Another aspect of the video Balliet commented on was the placement of the officers. The video shows three officers near the vehicle, two to the side and one directly in front of the vehicle.
“I don’t understand the tactical or police advantage of a person on foot in front of a moving, moving or occupied vehicle. You’re almost causing a shooting if that person decides to flee,” he said.
When the car accelerates, the officer in front of the car appears to fire three shots, killing Good and sending his vehicle crashing into a parked car.
“If someone flees, that does not justify the use of deadly force. The threshold becomes: Is your life in imminent danger or is someone else’s life in imminent danger?” Balliet said.
Steering of the car wheels
Balliet also focused on the direction of the car’s wheels, which he said indicates Good may have been trying to get away from the officers.
“It looks to me like she’s trying to get around this vehicle. She’s got the steering wheel turned to the right and she’s trying to get away,” he said.
Balliet acknowledged that officers regularly encounter protesters, which can increase tensions, but he added that it is law enforcement’s responsibility to deescalate the situation.
“I hate to say it, but you have to ignore the noise. You have to focus on your goal,” Balliet said.
Clashes with demonstrators
In November, Balliet reviewed videos of previous ICE encounters and told CBS News that some of these clips showing the use of force during clashes with anti-ICE protests “are not policing and law enforcement as I have practiced for 25 years.”
Noem said Wednesday that the ICE officer who shot the woman in Minneapolis was involved in an incident with an “anti-ICE rioter” in June. She said the officer, who has not yet been identified, was taken to the hospital after Wednesday’s shooting and has since been released.
Federal officials called the influx of 2,000 federal law enforcement personnel “a largest single-site agent deployment in ICE history.
