Minnesota ICE Shooting Video Sparks Renewed Scrutiny
A Minnesota prosecutor on Friday (local time) called on the public to share with investigators any recordings and evidence connected to the fatal shooting of Renee Good as a new video emerged showing the final moments of her encounter with an immigration officer.
The Minneapolis killing and a separate shooting in Portland, Oregon, a day later by the border Patrol have set off protests in multiple cities and denunciations of immigration enforcement tactics by the US government. The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents.
The reaction to the shooting has largely been focused on witness cellphone video of the encounter. A new, 47-second video that was published online by a Minnesota-based conservative news site, Alpha News, and later reposted on social media by the Department of Homeland security shows the shooting from the outlook of ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who fired the shots.
Sirens blaring in the background,he approaches and circles Good’s vehicle in the middle of the road while apparently filming on his cellphone. simultaneously occurring,Good’s wife also was recording the encounter and can be seen walking around the vehicle and approaching the officer. A series of exchanges occurred:
“That’s fine,I’m not mad at you,” Good says as the officer passes by her door.she has one hand on the steering wheel and the other outside the open driver side window.
“US citizen, former f—ing veteran,” says her wife, standing outside the passenger side of the SUV holding up her phone. “You wanna come at us, you wanna come at us, I say go get yourself some lunch big boy.”
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The Justice Department concluded that the agent, who has not been publicly identified, acted in self-defence and did not violate federal law when he shot and killed Dolal Idd, 23, during a traffic stop in Minneapolis on Aug.3, 2021.
Idd’s family and activists have disputed the findings, arguing that the shooting was unjustified and that the agent used excessive force.
Vance, the U.S. attorney for minnesota, said at a news conference that the agent reasonably believed Idd posed an immediate threat.
“Based on the evidence, the agent’s actions were justified and lawful,” Vance said.
The shooting occurred as federal agents were attempting to arrest Idd as part of a firearms investigation.According to the Justice Department, Idd refused to cooperate and drove toward the agents, prompting the agent to fire his weapon.
The Justice Department released body camera footage of the shooting, which shows Idd driving toward the agents. However, the footage is brief and does not show the events leading up to the shooting.
civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Idd’s family, said the footage does not tell the whole story.
“The video is incomplete and does not show the full context of the situation,” Crump said in a statement. “We believe that the agent acted recklessly and used excessive force.”
The shooting sparked protests in minneapolis, with activists calling for justice for Idd and accountability for the agent involved.
Expert questions officer’s actions
John P. Gross, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School who has written extensively about officers shooting at moving vehicles, questioned the agent’s actions.
“If you are an officer who views this woman as a threat, you don’t have one hand on a cellphone. You don’t walk around this supposed weapon, casually filming,” Gross said.
Ross, 43, is an Iraq War veteran who has served in the Border Patrol and ICE for nearly two decades. He was injured last year when he was dragged by a driver fleeing an immigration arrest.
Attempts to reach Ross at phone numbers and email addresses associated with him were not successful.
Prosecutor asks for video and evidence
Meanwhile, hennepin County Attorney Mary moriarty said that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, she is concerned by the Trump administration’s decision to bar state and local agencies from playing any role in the investigation into Good’s killing.
She also said the officer who shot Good in the head does not have complete legal immunity, as Vance declared.
“We do have jurisdiction to make this decision with what happened in this case,” Moriarty said at a news conference. “It does not matter that it was a federal law enforcement agent.”