The fatal shooting of a US citizen by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis has erupted into a political firestorm, with Democratic leaders accusing the Trump administration of spreading false and misleading claims to justify the killing before any independent investigation has begun.
The victim, Renee Nicole Good, was a 37-year-old mother of three, a widely published poet, and a lifelong Minneapolis resident. She was shot dead on Wednesday during an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Within hours, senior administration officials, conservative media figures, and the president himself portrayed Good as a violent extremist who had attempted to murder a federal agent — claims local officials and available video evidence sharply dispute.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday accused Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of deliberately lying about the circumstances of the shooting. “This was an effort to smear a dead woman to protect a narrative,” Jeffries said, calling Noem’s statements “cold-blooded dishonesty.”
Noem had alleged, without releasing evidence, that Good had been “stalking and impeding” ICE officers and had used her car as a weapon in an attempted attack. The Department of Homeland Security went further, labeling Good a “domestic terrorist” in social media posts published less than an hour after the shooting.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned those statements as reckless and premature. “It’s bullshit to declare self-defense before an investigation even starts,” Frey said, noting that video footage circulating online does not clearly support the government’s account. “Facts matter, especially when a life has been taken.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz echoed those concerns at a press conference, accusing top federal officials of poisoning public understanding before evidence could be reviewed. “People in positions of enormous power — from the president to the vice-president to the homeland security secretary — have stood before the American people and stated things that are verifiably false,” Walz said.
The narrative advanced by federal officials took shape almost immediately. Tricia McLaughlin, a senior Homeland Security spokesperson, claimed on X that a “violent rioter” had attempted to run over ICE officers in an “act of domestic terrorism,” adding that multiple officers had been injured. Video from the scene, however, shows no riot and no visible injuries to officers.
President Donald Trump amplified those claims in posts on Truth Social and later in remarks to reporters, asserting that Good had not merely attempted to strike an officer but had actually “run him over.” He further claimed the officer had narrowly survived and was hospitalized.
Yet multiple videos recorded by witnesses close to the scene contradict that description. In the clearest footage, an officer walks toward the front of Good’s slowly moving car and opens fire while remaining upright and stable. The vehicle appears to turn away from him, and there is no indication that he was knocked down or dragged. In fact, footage from immediately afterward shows the officer holstering his weapon and walking away calmly, without visible injury.
Brian O’Hara, Minneapolis’s police chief, told CNN and later confirmed at a press briefing that when he arrived at the scene, he was informed that “only the woman” had been injured. No medical records or official reports have been released indicating that any ICE officer required hospital treatment.
Despite this, Vice-President JD Vance used a White House briefing on Thursday to lash out at journalists, accusing them of lying by describing Good as an innocent civilian. Vance claimed it was “obvious” she had been radicalized by leftwing ideology and called the shooting a textbook case of terrorism. “Anyone repeating the idea that this was just a woman out for a drive should be ashamed,” he said.
Conservative media figures also joined the attack. Fox News host Jesse Watters focused on Good’s sexual orientation and personal life, highlighting her use of pronouns in her online biography and describing her family in dismissive terms — a move critics said had no relevance to the shooting and served only to inflame public opinion.
Independent analysts have challenged the administration’s version of events in detail. Political commentator Andrew Egger wrote that official statements contained claims unsupported by any evidence and appeared designed for viral spread rather than factual accuracy. “These narratives are invented whole cloth,” he argued, noting how rapidly false assertions can dominate social media before corrections emerge.
One particularly contested piece of evidence was a slowed-down video clip shared by Trump and rightwing influencers, which the president described as “proof” that Good ran over an officer. Video experts and journalists pointed out that slowing footage can dramatically distort perception. Viewed at normal speed, the clip shows only minimal contact, if any, before shots are fired. Other videos suggest the car accelerated only after Good had already been shot.
Walz urged the public to resist snap judgments and political spin, saying a full investigation was essential. He also emphasized Good’s life beyond the final moments captured on camera.
“Renee Good was not a label, not a talking point, not a headline,” Walz said. “Minnesotans will tell her story — as a mother, as an artist, as a human being. We will not allow her to be reduced to a false narrative pushed for convenience.”
As state and federal authorities prepare parallel investigations, the case has become a flashpoint in the broader national debate over immigration enforcement, use of force, and the power of political messaging in shaping public perception before facts are known.
