She behaved horribly, tried to run over ICE officer: Trump defends Minneapolis shooting
The incident sparked protests across the US, with many criticising the Trump administration's latest immigration enforcement operations across major cities.
New Delhi: Amid an immense outrage over the killing of a woman in Minneapolis during an immigration crackdown operation, US President Donald Trump sought to defend the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who opened fire at the woman and said that she had tried to "run over" the officer.
The 37-year-old woman, identified as Renee Nicole Good, was shot and killed by an ICE officer on Wednesday. The woman was in her SUV when two ICE officers tried to stop her. When the woman did not stop, one of the agents opened fire at her from point-blank range. The incident sparked protests across the US, with many criticising the Trump administration's latest immigration enforcement operations across major cities.
What Trump said on Minneapolis shooting
On being asked if the ICE agent should shoot the woman in such circumstances, Trump told The New York Times, "She behaved horribly, and then she ran him over. She didn't try to run him over."
He later played a video of the shooting while acknowledging the seriousness of the incident. Describing the incident as violent, he said, "With all of it being said, no, I don't like that happening. That was a vicious situation that took place." "It's a terrible scene. I think it's horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it," he added.
US Vice President JD Vance referred to Renee Nicole Macklin Good as a "deranged leftist" who tried to run over a federal officer. Vance said the officer who killed Good "discharged his weapon in self-defence" and that "other angles of the video show the woman clearly hit the officer with her car while accelerating."
Video footage of shooting
Several videos shared on social media showed an ICE officer intercepting an SUV, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. As the car does not stop and begins to move forward, another ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his gun and immediately fires at least two shots into the SUV at close range. The SUV then sped into two cars parked on a curb nearby before crashing to a stop.
Mayor terms shooting reckless
Jacob Frey, the city’s mayor, described the incident as "reckless” and unnecessary. "I do have a message for our community for our city and I do have a message for ICE. To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt,” Frey said.
In a social media post, the mayor said that immigration agents are "causing chaos in our city.” "We are demanding ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities,” Frey said.