Controversy is spreading after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed a 30s white woman during a large-scale immigration raid in Minnesota under the Donald Trump administration. The incident occurred near the site where Black man George Floyd died in 2020, raising concerns among locals that protests similar to those following Floyd's death could erupt again as residents gather to demonstrate against the shooting.

What Happened According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security on the 7th, federal ICE agents were conducting a targeted operation in the Minneapolis area when a woman in her 30s was fatally shot by an ICE agent. The deceased has been identified as Renee Nicole Good (37), a white woman and U.S. citizen, as reported by CBS and others.

The Department of Homeland Security stated after the incident: “As ICE agents were performing their operation, rioters began blocking the agents, and one of the violent rioters weaponized their vehicle in an attempt to kill the agents.” It added that an ICE agent fired in self-defense out of concern for their own and colleagues' lives as well as public safety. The department labeled the deceased woman's actions as a “terrorist act.

”President Trump also commented that day, saying it appeared the agent “shot her in self-defense” and that “we must back and protect our law enforcement officers from this radical left-wing movement of violence and hate. ”On-Site Video Released. However, the Minneapolis mayor and police refuted the federal authorities' account, calling it false and asserting that the shooting resulted from unnecessary and indiscriminate use of force by the ICE agent. At a press conference that day, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized the Department of Homeland Security's explanation as “bullshit” and claimed that “the ICE agent recklessly used force, resulting in loss of life.

”Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara also stated that “there is no indication that the woman was a target of immigration enforcement” and that she appeared to have blocked the road where ICE agents were present with her vehicle. O’Hara said the woman was shot in the head, received emergency treatment at the scene, was transported to a hospital, but was pronounced dead.

Videos of the incident obtained and released by The Washington Post (WP), The New York Times (NYT), and others from eyewitnesses show the deceased driving a burgundy Honda SUV, stopping her car on the road where ICE agents were operating to block the way. As ICE agents approached, shouting profanities and ordering her to get out of the vehicle, she briefly reversed before turning the wheel right to drive away from the agents. At that moment, one ICE agent standing on the left front of the vehicle drew a pistol and fired three shots at the driver. The shot vehicle then collided with another parked car on the side of the road and stopped.

Protests on the Verge of Erupting The incident occurred amid immigration authorities launching a large-scale operation to crack down on undocumented immigrants in Minnesota. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons had announced in a media interview the previous day that the largest-scale raid in ICE history would begin in Minnesota.

Media reports earlier indicated that immigration authorities planned to deploy about 2,000 agents in the Minneapolis area. Many residents gathered at the scene that day to protest the ICE shooting death, and ICE agents responded to the protesters with pepper spray and tear gas. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz stated, “We are witnessing the results of governance designed to incite fear,” adding, “I feel your anger,” while calling for peaceful protests.

Minneapolis is the city where George Floyd, a Black man, died due to excessive police force. In May 2020 during Trump's first term, Floyd was arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit bill and died after a police officer knelt on his neck for about 9 minutes and 30 seconds. This incident sparked nationwide “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) protests against police excessive force and racial discrimination

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