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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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Vice President JD Vance has thrown his support behind U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after an officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
"I want every ICE officer to know that their president, vice president, and the entire administration stands behind them," Vance wrote on X on Wednesday evening.
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"To the radicals assaulting them, doxxing them, and threatening them: congratulations, we're going to work even harder to enforce the law," he added.
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What Happened in Minneapolis
The fatal shooting happened on a residential street in south Minneapolis, near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue, located less than a mile from where police killed George Floyd in 2020.
Videos of the incident shared on social media show ICE agents surrounding a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. One agent demands that the driver get out and grabs the car handle, but the SUV reverses and tries to drive forward. An officer in front of the car then takes out a weapon and fires at the vehicle.
It is not clear whether the agent in front of the car was struck by the slow-moving vehicle, but he remains standing. Three gunshots are heard before the vehicle crashes.
The agents at the scene can then be heard saying the woman driving the SUV had "no pulse."
The Minneapolis City Council identified the woman as Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen with a 6-year-old child.
"Renee was a resident of our city who was out caring for her neighbors this morning and her life was taken today at the hands of the federal government," the city council said in a statement.
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The Department of Homeland Security, on the other hand, wrote on X that Good was a "violent rioter" who "weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism."
The ICE agent who fired at the woman, the department said, was "fearing for his life" and fired "defensive shots."
Officials and residents in Minnesota—together with many social media users closely scrutinizing footage of the incident—have largely disagreed with this recounting of the events that unfolded on Wednesday. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the ICE agent was "recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying."
In a post published on X on Thursday, Vance again defended the ICE officer who shot Good. "Every congressional democrat and every democrat who's running for president should be asked a simple question: Do you think this officer was wrong in defending his life against a deranged leftist who tried to run him over? These people are going to try to arrest our law enforcement for doing their jobs. The least the media could do is ask them about it," he wrote.
Newsweek contacted Frey's office, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's office, and the Department of Homeland Security for comment by email on Thursday outside normal office hours.
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The Context
The fatal shooting in Minneapolis, a city that became a focal point for social justice activism after the killing of Floyd in 2020, is only the latest explosive incident involving ICE since the Trump administration launched an aggressive immigration crackdown across the country.
On the heels of a recent child care fraud scandal in Minnesota involving members of the resident Somali community, the administration announced the deployment of 2,000 federal agents—including ICE officers—to Minneapolis, escalating the president's immigration push in the state.
The increased presence of ICE agents around the country has heightened tensions between officers and residents, especially in Democratic-run cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis. The use of deadly force in the incident involving Good has sparked a new backlash against ICE and the Trump administration's anti-immigration policies, though the Department of Homeland Security and Vance have defended agents' right to protect themselves against alleged threats.
What People Are Saying
Vice President JD Vance wrote on X: "You can accept that this woman's death is a tragedy while acknowledging it's a tragedy of her own making. Don't illegally interfere in federal law enforcement operations and try to run over our officers with your car. It's really that simple."
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wrote on X: "I've seen the video. Don't believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice."
He added in another post: "We've been warning for weeks that the Trump Administration's dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to public safety."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a news conference: "They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video of myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bull****."
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a news conference: "ICE officers were out in enforcement action. They got stuck in the snow because of the adverse weather that is in Minneapolis. They were attempting to push out their vehicle, and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively shot to protect himself and the people around him. My understanding is she was hit and is deceased."
She added: "These vehicle rammings are domestic acts of terrorism."
The Department of Homeland Security wrote on X: "This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement who are facing 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats."
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said at a news conference: "In any professional law enforcement agency in the country, I think they would tell you it's obviously very concerning whenever there's a shooting into a vehicle of someone who's not armed."
What Happens Next
The FBI told Newsweek that is has launched an investigation into the deadly shooting. Walz said on Wednesday that the state would ensure "there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice."
Minneapolis residents have been holding peaceful vigils, and protests have broken out in the city since the fatal shooting. Authorities have been calling for order, with Walz warning residents that "Trump wants a show. Don't give it to him."
Frey has called for ICE officers to "get the f*** out of Minneapolis," adding at a news conference on Wednesday, "We do not want you here."
Noem said on Wednesday that ICE operations in the state would continue.
Update 1/8/26, 5:19 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with more information.
Update 1/8/26, 9 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a post from Vice President JD Vance.
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