What Minneapolis ICE shooting reveals about law and accountability

For more than two decades, I have lived and worked in Minneapolis. During that time, I have seen communities withstand floods, protests and a pandemic. I have also seen how quickly tragedy can divide us. The killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minnesota resident and mother of three, by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Jan. 7 has become one of those moments. In confronting it, we must adhere to the facts, understand the law and remember the humanity of everyone involved. According to federal officials and multiple news reports, Good was fatally shot during a federal immigration operation in south Minneapolis. Video recorded by bystanders shows several ICE agents surrounding her sport utility vehicle. As she tried to leave the scene, one agent fired into the driver’s side window. The vehicle rolled into parked cars and came to a stop. The Department of Homeland Security described the agent’s actions as self-defense and characterized Good’s behavior as an act of domestic terrorism. Local officials disagreed. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the vid