The ICE agent who fatally shot an unarmed woman in Minneapolis is ‘increasingly unlikely’ to face charges despite mounting public pressure, according to a report.
People familiar with the case were doubtful that criminal charges would come from federal investigations, though they said that could change as more information comes to light.
Those sources told the New York Times in a report published on Monday that investigators are now looking into possible connections between the victim and activist groups protesting the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot three times and killed by a federal agent while observing their work during a surge of ICE activity in the city, according to the City of Minneapolis.
Critics have since staged a series of protests to denounce the shooting, while the Trump administration has defended the action, accusing Good of domestic terrorism and conspiracy to undermine federal agents.
Good’s extended family said in a statement on Monday that they wanted justice and accountability, while urging people against “hateful rhetoric back and forth”.
Charlene Fletcher, Good’s former mother-in-law, told The Guardian: “It feels deeply wrong that Renee died in this way. She had a beautiful voice that everyone should have had the chance to hear. The last thing Renee would have wanted was violence carried out in her name.”
Jessica Fletcher, Good’s sister-in-law, said they had been deliberate in making little mention of the protests sweeping U.S. cities to avoid “pouring more gasoline on the fire”, while thanking supporters for showing up.
“We know Renee would be there too, cheering on those who fight for justice and standing with the people, causes, and community she loved. We hope this inspires accountability, compassion, and meaningful change,” the family statement read.
Trump on Sunday described Good and her wife, Becca Good, as “professional agitators,” without providing evidence. On Friday, he endorsed the vice president’s claims that she was part of a vague “leftwing network” trying to “incite violence” against ICE agents.
“The reality is that [the agent’s] life was endangered and he fired in self-defense,” JD Vance claimed in comments on social media on Friday, a day after saying “she was trying to ram this guy with her car” at a White House briefing.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that Good had been “stalking” a group of ICE officers in her Honda Pilot just prior to the killing and had attempted to run them over in “an act of domestic terrorism”.
The comments have inflamed public outrage, with Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota saying it was “unacceptable” for Trump, Vance, and Noem to make such claims before an investigation has concluded.
Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, told The Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter was “not part of anything like that at all”, referring to protesters challenging ICE agents.
Michelle Gross, president of the Minnesota-based Community United Against Police Brutality, said Good was a volunteer in a large network of “neighborhood patrols” tracking and recording ICE operations in Minneapolis.
She told Reuters, “That’s what she was doing” when she was confronted and shot by the federal agent, named as Jonathan Ross.
