‘Public execution.’ ‘Trigger-happy.’ California lawmakers decry ICE shooting of Minneapolis woman

The fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman by a federal immigration agent during an operation Wednesday in Minneapolis sparked public outrage and protests across the country, including in California, where agents have been involved in several shootings.

California lawmakers and immigrant rights groups condemned the killing of the woman, who was identified by family as Renee Nicole Good, a wife and mother of three.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom took to social media to say President Trump had a role in the violence.

“His deliberate escalation of intimidation and chaos has consequences,” Newsom wrote. “His reckless crackdown must end.”

In a written statement, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to withdraw Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from Los Angeles County and other areas of the United States.

“These ICE agents are undertrained and trigger-happy and everyone who has seen this video knows ICE murdered this woman,” Hahn said. “These ICE agents are too dangerous and they should not be operating on our streets.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, pictured at a Board of Supervisors meeting in L.A. in September, has called for ICE to be removed from the county.

(Al Seib / For The Times)

In a strongly worded statement, Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles) called the shooting a “public execution.”

“ICE does not give a single s— who you are, how long you’ve lived here, or how hard you’ve worked. They are coming for ALL of us. They are armed with fear, force, and zero accountability,” he wrote. “I unequivocally condemn the actions of federal agents in Minneapolis. The fatal shooting of Renee was a public execution, NOT self-defense.”

Masih Fouladi, executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, said it was not the first time immigration enforcement operations “resulted in violence and bloodshed.” He said federal immigration agents have fired on at least nine people in five states and Washington, D.C.

On New Year’s Eve, Keith Porter Jr. was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent outside his apartment complex in Northridge. Family members and their attorney said Porter was firing a gun into the air to celebrate and posed no threat.

“The tragic killings of people by ICE agents are yet another example of how mass immigration raids endanger our communities and erode our constitutional rights,” Fouladi said.

Porter’s death is just one of several shootings and use-of-force incidents involving ICE agents in Southern California.

In October immigration agents shot and wounded Carlos Jimenez, a U.S. citizen, in Ontario, just days after TikTok streamer Carlitos Ricardo Parias was shot in the arm. And in August a federal agent in San Bernardino opened fire on people inside a truck. The driver sped off after an agent smashed the driver’s side window.

The Minneapolis shooting occurred Wednesday morning on a residential street. Videos taken by witnesses and shared on social media show the driver of a maroon compact sport utility vehicle reversing before accelerating forward and turning to leave when an agent — standing in front of the vehicle — opens fire.

A deployed airbag and blood stains are seen in a crashed vehicle at the scene of a shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

(Ellen Schmidt / MinnPost / Associated Press)

Noem said during a news conference that the woman “weaponized her vehicle” and that it was an “act of terrorism.” She defended the actions of the agent, who she claimed had been dragged by a vehicle in June, and reported that the agent was hospitalized and released.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey disputed Noem’s description of events leading up to the shooting.

“Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: That is bull—,” he said. “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed.”

President Trump took to social media to say the situation was being “studied” and also defended the actions of the agent.

“They are just trying to do the job of making America safe,” he wrote in part. “We need to stand by and protect our law enforcement officers.”

People gather in Minneapolis for a vigil Wednesday after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman earlier in the day.

(Bruce Kluckhohn / Associated Press)

Hours after the slaying, thousands descended at the site of the shooting to hold a vigil for the woman while hundreds of demonstrators banged on the glass windows of a federal courthouse building in downtown Minneapolis, chanting, “ICE out now!”

In downtown Los Angeles, dozens gathered at Placita Olvera to call for an end to immigration raids that have brought terror to American communities, and Thursday morning the nonprofit Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice held a demonstration outside of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building.

Videos shared on social media show people chanting “ICE out of L.A.” while holding signs, including some that read: “From Minneapolis to Los Angeles, stop ICE terror.”