On 7 January, an agent of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot and killed a woman in broad daylight. Now, lawyers with a history of defending ‘officer-involved shootings’ have spoken publicly about the viability of the ICE agent’s defence.
The advice indicates that it’s not looking good for the aggressive ICE agent, or for the US president seeking to defend and obfuscate what happened:
Spoke on background with two attorneys who have defended officer involved shootings.
Both have always taken their cases to trial.
After reviewing the events today, both said if it were their client they’d advise:
-Seek a plea deal
-Be willing to plead guilty to a lesser crime… https://t.co/Zyp6OtGQFz— Adam Cochran (adamscochran.eth) (@adamscochran) January 8, 2026
‘Self Defence’, says ICE
Renee Nicole Good, 37, of Minnesota was murdered by an ICE agent on Wednesday 7 January. This happened after she reportedly received confusing, contradictory instructions from the three ICE agents surrounding her vehicle. Trump and US officials, meanwhile, have attempted to portray the murder as ‘self-defence’, resulting in widespread disgust.
Mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey did not hold back back at a press conference:
BREAKING: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey just called BULLSHIT on Kristi Noem’s statement that this was self defense:
MAYOR FREY: "ICE is already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that it is… pic.twitter.com/hLgczQZAys
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) January 7, 2026
Experienced defence lawyers have now spoken publicly after assessing the material facts of the case. Their verdict is that the best that can be hoped for is something lesser than life without parole.
Adam Cochran shared the legal views of the two attorneys:
Spoke on background with two attorneys who have defended officer involved shootings.
Both have always taken their cases to trial.
After reviewing the events today, both said if it were their client they’d advise:
-Seek a plea deal
-Be willing to plead guilty to a lesser crime or a lower sentence
-Accept anything that isn’t de jure LWOP (life with out parole)In other words, the guys who defend police officers shooting for a living, think this case is unwinnable.
They would try to defend his actions, they’d just try and lower the impact of the outcome.
Their main sticking point were:
-“I could argue shot number one and hope for an acquittal or a hung jury – but I can’t get there on shots 2 and 3”
-“A jury will not get passed the turning of the wheels”
-“Denying medics throws self defense out the window”
Punching holes into the narrative laid out by Trump and his far-right lackies, another X user drew attention to an eyewitness statement detailing the three ICE agent’s contradictory instructions to the victim:
According to another eyewitness, ICE gave the woman they killed contradictory instructions, then aggressively surrounded her vehicle. One told her to leave, then as she complied, another tried to open her car door & told her to get out of it, while the killer got in front of her. pic.twitter.com/IwVw5r6ADd
— Branko Marcetic (@BMarchetich) January 7, 2026
Femicide and victim-blaming
In order for self-defence to hold up in court, the agent has to show beyond reasonable doubt that either he perceived a threat to his life, or a real threat to his life was present:
I’m a former defense attorney and currently a civil liberties attorney with no political dog in this fight. I watched the video at least 10 times from different angles and at different speeds and waited to offer an opinion, which I still reserve the right to change if additional…
— Jenin Younes (@JeninYounesEsq) January 8, 2026
I’m a former defense attorney and currently a civil liberties attorney with no political dog in this fight. I watched the video at least 10 times from different angles and at different speeds and waited to offer an opinion, which I still reserve the right to change if additional information changes the calculus.
It is very clear that the officers instigated the confrontation. The woman initially tried to wave them past her.
ICE officers have no authority to search a US citizen or arrest her (unless there’s probable cause to believe she’s harboring undocumented individuals, not a contention here). A woman surrounded by masked, armed men who have no law enforcement authority over her has every right to try to escape. Video shows her steering wheel is turned to the right, clearly an attempt to leave WITHOUT hitting anyone and steer clear of the officer standing towards the front of her car. That officer had time to step to the side, which is where he was when he shot her.
Even a real police officer would not have the right to shoot at her for trying to flee. This is well-established in the case law; deadly force may not be used simply to prevent someone from getting away. Given that the ICE officers had no law enforcement authority to begin with, AND the video footage shows she was trying to escape a perceived threat, not to kill anyone, the crime is all the more inexcusable.
I’m praying for the victim’s family, especially her children. I’m also praying for all the conservatives who are so unprincipled and lost they’re excusing this terrible crime, and gloating over a death that will leave three young children motherless, because of the victim’s politics.
We can’t say if Good was trying to escape from a perceived attack or if she was trying to follow contradictory advice. If if it was the former, her survival instincts were punished with death.
Caught between a rock and a hard place
It seems like Good was likely overwhelmed and unsure as to which instruction to follow, resulting in her driving away. Even if she was fleeing the scene rather than following instructions, lawyers have pointed out that fleeing does not warrant the use of deadly force, as determined by case law. Consequently, it’s not looking good for the fascist ICE agent who ended the life of a young American mother.
Featured image via X
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