The NGO views the incident as an “example of an abusive system” and a common pattern in the actions of anti-immigration agents
The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has declared that the fatal shooting of American citizen Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent in Minneapolis on January 7 is simply an “unjustified killing” and an example of the “abusive system” practiced by employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in their raids against undocumented migrants across the country.
In its condemnation of the incident, HRW emphasizes the numerous videos of the incident recorded on the cell phones of witnesses and even on the phone of the agent who shot the woman: Good, the NGO analyzes, at no point attempted to run over the agents with her vehicle, as the U.S. administration initially claimed.
“The analysis of the videos shows that, when he fired the shots, the agent could not reasonably have feared that he would die or suffer serious physical injury,” HRW concludes.
HRW also denounces that, according to witness statements, ICE agents prevented an individual who identified himself as a doctor from providing immediate assistance to Good. Two witnesses told the media that ICE vehicles parked on the street obstructed the ambulance’s path, forcing paramedics to reach the scene where Good was dying on foot.
“For the past year, ICE and other federal agents have abused immigrant communities across the United States with impunity,” said HRW’s Crisis and Conflict Director, Ida Sawyer.
“This horrific incident is the latest sign that their abusive tactics are putting the lives of people not subject to immigration authorities at risk,” she added. Human Rights Watch states that this “unjustified killing” is part of a broader pattern of incidents involving the use of firearms in questionable circumstances during immigration enforcement operations and stops of suspicious vehicles.
The Justice Department’s policy, the NGO notes, explicitly prohibits law enforcement officers from firing weapons “solely to disable moving vehicles.” Even when a “vehicle is being driven in a manner that threatens to cause death or serious bodily harm,” an officer may not fire a weapon if they can reasonably avoid the harm, including “by moving out of the vehicle’s path.”
“Good’s death is a horrific example of the dangers posed by law enforcement officers who have been empowered to act recklessly, and it sends a threatening and potentially intimidating message to immigrants, protesters, and bystanders alike,” Sawyer condemned. “Authorities must conduct a public and thorough investigation into the killing and ensure that justice is served,” he added.
