Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday sharply defended the federal immigration agent who shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis and insisted that there was no reason to question the agent’s actions—even as video footage and accounts from state and local officials painted a more complicated and contested picture of what happened.
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Speaking from the White House briefing room, Vance described the episode as “an attack on federal law enforcement” and “an attack on the American people,” arguing that rhetoric from the left had radicalized a small group of activists and placed officers in danger. At times raising his voice, he characterized media coverage questioning the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as “an absolute disgrace” and insisted that the officer involved had acted to save his life.
“This is a guy who’s actually done a very, very important job for the United States of America,” Vance said of the agent, noting that the officer had previously been struck twice by vehicles in the past six months, once suffering injuries that required more than 30 stitches. “He’s been assaulted, he’s been attacked. He’s been injured because of it. He deserves a debt of gratitude.”
Read more: Protests Erupt After Fatal ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
Federal officials have said the officer shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good after she allegedly used her car as a weapon during what they described as a legitimate law enforcement operation. President Donald Trump reiterated that account on social media, calling the shooting an act of self-defense, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the woman had been “stalking” agents.
But video footage of the encounter, posted online and verified by The New York Times and other outlets, raises questions about how federal officials are describing the incident. The footage shows two federal agents trying to pull Good from a vehicle that was partially blocking a residential street. The car reverses, then pulls forward and begins to turn. A third agent steps into view, draws his gun and fires a shot, then continues firing as the vehicle moves past him.
Witnesses have said the shots came almost immediately after an agent shouted “Stop.”
Pressed by reporters on whether he was preempting an investigation that is still in its early stages, Vance dismissed the concern. “What you see is what you get in this case,” he said, asserting that “nobody debates” that Good aimed her car at an officer—a claim that state officials and Democrats have in fact strongly disputed.
At one point, Vance said it was a “lie” to describe Good as “some innocent woman,” arguing that she had gone to the scene to interfere with federal agents. He went further, alleging without evidence that she was part of a “broader left-wing network” intent on obstructing, assaulting and doxxing ICE officers.
Later, after acknowledging that he had watched the video, Vance softened his certainty slightly, saying he did not know what was in the woman’s heart or mind. “Was she panicking, or was she actually trying to ram him?” he said. “That’s a reasonable conversation.” Even so, he called her death “a tragedy of her own making” and “a tragedy of the far left,” saying she must have been “brainwashed” or “radicalized” to put herself in that situation.
The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, said there was nothing to suggest that Good was the target of any law enforcement investigation. Minnesota officials identified her as the woman killed and said she was not suspected of any crime before the encounter.
Almost immediately after Good’s death on Wednesday, Minnesota leaders responded with anger and alarm. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said federal immigration operations had made his state less safe, not more, and accused the Administration of spreading propaganda about the shooting. “Don’t believe this propaganda machine,” he wrote on social media.
At a news conference on Thursday, Walz described what he called a chilling lack of humanity at the scene, saying a person who identified themselves as a physician was turned away when they tried to provide medical aid. He also said ICE agents later entered a Minnesota school, causing disruptions. “I can’t say this strongly enough,” Walz said. “I beg you, I implore you, to tell them to stay out of our schools.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called federal accounts of the shooting “bulls—t” and described the incident as “an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying.” Thousands of people gathered near the site of the shooting for a vigil Wednesday night, chanting against ICE. The scene was about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.
Local officials have also raised concerns about whether the government will conduct a fair and accurate investigation into the shooting, after they said Thursday that federal law enforcement were freezing out state investigators from the investigation. The investigation will be led solely by the FBI, according to Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The shooting comes amid a broader escalation in immigration enforcement nationwide. In the last four months, immigration officers have fired on at least nine people in five states and Washington, D.C., all involving individuals in vehicles, according to The New York Times.
At the same White House appearance on Thursday, Vance announced a separate move targeting Minnesota. He said the White House would soon create a new assistant attorney general position with nationwide jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute fraud, initially focused on allegations that childcare centers in Minnesota had improperly taken federal funds.
The official, Vance said, would have the resources and authority of a special counsel but would report directly to him and to Trump. He added that Senate Majority Leader John Thune had promised the nominee would receive swift confirmation.
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