Dear Editor,

The recent shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis begs these questions. Was it justified?  Does the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) have an obligation to investigate? Why did the DOJ shut out Minnesota investigative efforts? Does agent Ross deserve “absolute immunity”?

First, it is a constitutional right to record law enforcement carrying out their duties in public places, so long as an observer doesn’t interfere with officials, and complies with reasonable orders. A federal judge just reiterated this.

In the words of Bret Stephens, New York Times columnist, “what I saw in that video was neither law nor order.  It was the brute abuse of power. The penalty for civil disobedience used to be a citation, maybe even a night in jail.  Now it’s a bullet.” 

Frank Bruni, in an opinion piece for the New York Times, called Trump, Vance and Noem’s reaction to the shooting as the “complete, relentless savaging of your reputation. Trump and his cabal are pretending that Good deserved this. They’re not just spinning what happened. They’re going to extraordinary lengths to vilify her, to demonize her, ludicrously casting her as some clandestinely funded terrorist.” 

A dozen years ago the U S Customs and Border Protection (CPB) asked the Police Executive Research Forum to review the use of deadly force by CPB. The study examined 67 examples of use of deadly force, equipment, tactics, and training from 2010 to 2012. The study stated that there was a need for significant change in two areas: regarding shots fired at vehicles as well as shots fired at protesters throwing objects at CPB agents.  

It states: “First, officers/agents should be prohibited from shooting at vehicles unless vehicle occupants are attempting to use deadly force—other than the vehicle—against the agent. Training and tactics should focus on avoiding positions that put agents in the path of a vehicle and getting out of the way of moving vehicles. Second, officers/agents should be prohibited from using deadly force against subjects throwing objects not capable of causing serious physical injury or death to them. 

Yes, Renee Good’s car did graze the agent in the left front bumper. Was it an attempt at lethal force?  Her wheels were clearly turned to avoid the agent. The video, taken by agent Ross himself, shows Good smiling at the agent and saying something like “Don’t worry dude. I am not mad.”  

One must question why agent Ross put himself in that position in the first place instead of “avoiding positions that put agents in the path of a vehicle and getting out of the way of moving vehicles.” He should have known.  He was employed by CBP at the time this report was published.

Is he one of those officers who is angry that no one is obeying them? Ross’s own cell phone recorded his comment following the shooting of Good, “f**-ing bitch.” That sounds like an avenging, angry agent, instead of a calm, levelheaded officer pledged to “protect and serve”.   

Yet the president, Vance, and Noem have all declared that Ross has “absolute immunity,” a ridiculous assertion. No law enforcement officer nor military officer has this blanket immunity. Instead, America needs a thorough investigation of the shooter, not Good.  Detailed analysis of multiple angles of the shooting show Ross with his left hand on the hood of Good’s car, and his legs clearly to the side. Ross put himself in a position where he was vulnerable, and then seemingly used this as justification to shoot her. Certainly shots # 2 & 3 were unjustified. She was clearly no threat at that time. 

Takeitback.org recommends important guardrails against ICE’s increasing and sometimes unnecessary use of force.  

“The killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis was not an isolated incident. It was the predictable outcome of enforcement strategies that reward aggression while stripping away accountability. Her death, alongside the growing number of people injured or killed during ICE raids and in detention, demands immediate congressional action.

Congress must ensure firm guardrails are in place to prevent the next tragedy. The only way to do this is to fully investigate what has gone wrong when ICE agents are deployed with tactics that escalate confrontation, bypass due process, and treat human lives as disposable. When Congress continues to appropriate funds blindly, it becomes a participant in the abuse.”

America needs this to restore faith in law enforcement. It is high time for Republicans in Congress to show some spine and rein in this empowered private army before they kill again.   

Bill Thibedeau

Gilpin County