Outrage as mother of 3 shot dead by US immigration officer in Minneapolis
Angry protests erupted in south Minneapolis, Minnesota after a mother of three children was shot dead by a federal officer with the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) United States
Angry protests erupted in south Minneapolis, Minnesota after a mother of three children was shot dead by a federal officer with the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) United States.
The 37-yr-old woman, a U.S. citizen identified as Renee Nicole Macklin Good, was shot dead during a large-scale federal immigration enforcement operation in a modest neighbourhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets in the area.
The area is also just 1.6 km from where George Floyd was murdered by policeman Derek Chauvin in May 2020, sparking mass Black Lives Matter protests during Trump’s first presidency.
'Reckless, UnnecessaryMurder'
A video captured by bystanders and shared on social media shows the IEC agent approaching her car, demanding she open the door and grabbing the handle. When she begins to pull forward, a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the vehicle at close range leading the SUV to crash.
As per the reports, Renee Good was a US citizen born in Colorado and appears to have never been charged with anything involving law enforcement beyond a traffic ticket.
Her ex-husband, who asked not to be named out of concern for the safety of their children, said Good had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school on Wednesday and was driving home with her current partner when they encountered a group of ICE agents on a snowy street in Minneapolis, where they had moved last year from Kansas City, Missouri.
Following the incident, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed the woman “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”
Minneapolis Mayor, Jacob Frey however accused the DHS of spinning the narrative described the shooting as reckless and unnecessary. Frey also demanded ICE agents leave the city.
“They are already trying to spin this as an act of self-defence,” he said, referring to ICE.
The Mayor rubbished the claims, saying that he had watched the video of the woman being shot. Frey also asked the ICE agents to leave the state.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara expressed concern about the tactics used by ICE agents, NBC News and Associated Press said in their reports.
Snap Protests
Following the shooting, protesters quickly gathered at the scene, shouting, “Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!” Some were met by heavily armed federal agents wearing gas masks who fired chemical munitions at the demonstrators, according to Al Jazeera.
Snap protests and vigil were also organised in other cities and towns across the United States on Wednesday evening.
Minneapolis Public Schools canceled school, sports and activities for Thursday and Friday, saying in a statement that the decision was “due to safety concerns related to today’s incidents around the city”.
Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.
Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic
