‘People Are Furious’: Radio Host Describes Fallout after ICE Killing

The fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent has ignited outrage across the Twin Cities. There are protests and multiple investigations underway — and it’s all unfolding just blocks from the George Floyd Square memorial.

John Parker is a Minneapolis resident and radio host on AM 950 KTNF. He tells Jamie Martinson and Brian Noonan, hosts of Civic Media Mornings, that Renee Nicole Good was a 37-year-old mother of three who was shot not far from her home. And despite fallout after the ICE killing, authorities will not clarify whether the agent remains on duty, has been placed on leave, or is still in the state.

“What we know is that an ICE agent shot and killed a 37-year-old mother,” Parker says. “What we don’t know yet is where he is or what accountability will look like.”

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Watch the entire discussion here:

The FBI and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) are both looking into the incident but through separate investigations. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is also pushing for a local, county-level investigation, meaning at least two, and potentially three, inquiries.

The BCA previously played a central role in the investigation that led to the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd. 

Remembering Renee Nicole Good

One thing Parker emphasizes during this discussion is the importance of remembering the woman at the center of the case.

He says Good was a U.S. citizen, a poet, and a graduate of Old Dominion University, where she earned a degree in English and won an undergraduate prize from the Academy of American Poets. She identified as a writer, wife, and mother, and member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Good was originally from Colorado Springs but moved to Minneapolis with her wife after enduring her own personal loss a few years ago. 

“People were attending vigils where the shooting occurred and didn’t even realize they were walking right past her home,” Parker says.

Conflicting Narratives

The shooting has already produced conflicting stories from officials. Federal authorities, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, characterized the shooting as an act of self-defense by an officer confronting a “domestic terrorist.” 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey forcefully rejected that description after viewing video of the incident saying, “To ICE: get the hell out of Minneapolis. The killing is an act of domestic terrorism committed by federal agents.”

Parker says many Minnesotans are angered by what they see as a familiar pattern.

“They’re not even trying to edit the video to fit their narrative,” he explains. “They’re just telling people, ‘Don’t believe what you’re seeing.’”

Protests and School Closures

The killing comes during what federal officials have described as the largest ICE deployment currently underway in the country. Roughly 2,000 agents have been sent to Minneapolis in the last week.

Demonstrators marched toward the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, where ICE maintains offices. Additional demonstrations are planned near Lake Street and Chicago Avenue. It’s a site already etched into national memory.

Minneapolis Public Schools are closed the rest of the week after ICE agents were reported at Roosevelt High School. Witnesses say agents shoved staff, chased students, and forced a lockdown as children hid in a library.

“That part didn’t even get the attention it should have,” Parker says. “We had kids hiding. Staff pushed to the ground. It felt like the violence was the point.”

Trust and Accountability

The shooting is also renewing questions about law enforcement accountability in Minneapolis. The city is still dealing with the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. Parker says a Department of Justice consent decree aimed at reforming the Minneapolis Police Department was abandoned under the Trump administration, though city leaders have pledged to continue following its terms.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara acknowledged what video evidence appeared to show, but Parker says the city’s police union sided with federal officials. It’s another divide highlighting tensions between communities, unions, and law enforcement leadership.

“Minnesotans know how to protest,” Parker says. “And they’re not going to put up with this.”

And as Minneapolis once again finds itself at the center of a national story around policing and immigration enforcement, Parker says many already wonder whether the video evidence will lead to any accountability.