MINNEAPOLIS, USA — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday during a federal immigration operation, an incident that officials in Washington described as self-defence but that city leaders condemned as reckless and unnecessary.
The woman, identified by relatives as Renee Nicole Macklin Good, 37, was killed shortly after 9:30 a.m. in a residential neighbourhood south of downtown Minneapolis.
Witnesses recorded the shooting on video, which circulated widely online and quickly drew protesters to the scene.
Shooting During Enforcement Action
According to bystander videos, ICE officers approached a sport utility vehicle stopped across the roadway and demanded that the driver open the door.
As the vehicle began to move forward, another officer standing in front of it fired at least two shots at close range.
The vehicle then struck two parked cars before coming to a stop.
It was not immediately clear from the footage whether the vehicle made contact with the officer before the shots were fired, or what interactions may have occurred before recording began.
Macklin Good was shot in the head in front of a family member, witnesses said.
Her mother told the Minnesota Star Tribune that she had a six-year-old child.
On social media, Macklin Good described herself as a poet, writer, wife and mother.
Conflicting Accounts From Officials
Federal officials defended the officer’s actions. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the shooting was justified, describing it as an act of self-defence.
“Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he’s been taught to do in that situation,” Noem said at a news conference Wednesday evening.
She later described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” against ICE officers and said the Federal Bureau of Investigation would investigate.
President Donald Trump echoed that view in a social media post, accusing the woman of attempting to harm officers and defending the broader immigration operation.
City officials strongly rejected those claims. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he had viewed the video and dismissed the federal account.
“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defence,” Frey said. “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly, that is garbage.”
Frey criticised the deployment of more than 2,000 federal officers to Minneapolis and neighbouring St. Paul as part of the immigration crackdown, saying it was fuelling fear and instability.
“What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust,” the mayor said.
“They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets, and in this case, quite literally killing people.”
Protests and Vigil
The killing prompted immediate protests at the scene, just blocks from long-established immigrant communities and about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.
By evening, hundreds of people gathered for a vigil to mourn Macklin Good and denounce the immigration operation.
In one video recorded after the shooting, a woman who identified herself as Macklin Good’s spouse was seen crying near the crashed vehicle.
She said the family had recently moved to Minnesota.
Federal authorities said the investigation was continuing. No charges or disciplinary actions had been announced by Wednesday night.
