Southern California lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an operation in Minneapolis Wednesday.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, called for an investigation into the “horrific killing” of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot in her vehicle in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis.
“I encourage folks to watch those videos and see what’s happened for themselves,” he said. “And I’m hopeful that this committee investigates this incident and that we have full accountability.”
Video footage shows an ICE officer approaching Good’s SUV as it’s stopped in the road and trying to open the door. As the vehicle begins to move forward and pulls to the right, a different ICE officer standing near the left headlight jumps back and draws his weapon, immediately firing shots at close range.
In a call Thursday, Garcia, formerly a two-term mayor of Long Beach, said he’s shared the video with Southern California law enforcement he worked with during his tenure, adding they were “repulsed by those actions of the ICE officer.”
“For anyone that has seen that video, it’s very clear that killing was done in a way that no law enforcement agency would sanction or support,” Garcia said.
Federal officials insist the shooting was an act of self-defense, painting Good as a domestic terrorist who attempted to ram the officers with her car, injuring one of them. But Minneapolis leaders reject that narrative, saying it’s unclear whether the vehicle makes contact with the officer, who is able to walk away after the incident.
An investigation into the killing is being led by the FBI and currently does not involve local law enforcement, despite outcry from Minneapolis officials who said the U.S. attorney’s office has blocked them from participating.
Garcia cast doubt on the DOJ’s ability to fairly investigate the incident, saying it needs to be reviewed independently.
“No one should trust that that is going to be done in a way that is either legal or transparent,” Garcia said. “I think they’ve proven time and time again that they’re more interested in retribution and hiding [Jeffrey] Epstein documents and covering for the President and going after political enemies than anything else.”
(Garcia, in his position on the House’s main investigatory committee, has been one of President Donald Trump’s main antagonists, pushing for the release of all documents related to Epstein, the deceased financier and trafficker.)
“I don’t know that we can trust a Department of Justice investigation,” Garcia said, saying that local law enforcement in Minnesota deserves a chance to investigate on its own.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday voted to subpoena all records related to the case, but were unanimously blocked by Republicans, who hold the majority.
Garcia said the committee will work with Minneapolis officials to gather materials on the case “regardless of what the DOJ does” while making more attempts on subpoenaing case documents.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, only allows deadly force when an officer reasonably believes someone poses an imminent threat of death or serious injury.
It cannot be used solely to arrest someone or disable a fleeing vehicle if the person does not pose such a threat, and is only allowed when no reasonable alternative exists.
In an interview with the New York Times Wednesday, President Trump maintained the agent acted justly, saying Good “ran him over” — despite video evidence to the contrary.
“She behaved horribly,” Trump reportedly said.
State and local authorities may pursue criminal investigations against federal agents, who are not immune from prosecution if they act outside their authority.
The fatal shooting has sparked public outrage in Minnesota and in Southern California, where protestors and lawmakers have condemned the killing with a renewed call for ICE’s exit from the region and an arrest for the officer who fired the deadly shots.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn on Thursday asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to withdraw ICE agents from Los Angeles County, saying they are “too dangerous” and “should not be operating on our streets.”
“These ICE agents are undertrained and trigger happy and everyone who has seen this video knows ICE murdered this woman,” Hahn wrote.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson called Good’s killing an atrocity that must not be normalized.
“In Long Beach, we’ve seen how these federal enforcement tactics escalate fear and put lives at risk,” he said. “They do not make our cities safer.”
Ahead of his State of the State address on Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom accused President Trump of playing a role in the violence.
“His deliberate escalation of intimidation and chaos has consequences,” he wrote. “His reckless crackdown must end.”
Before his speech, the legislature held a moment of silence for the slain woman.
Demonstrations that began Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles are expected to continue Thursday. Protests are also expected outside the Long Beach Civic Chambers Thursday at 7 p.m., as well as on Saturday at 2 p.m.