MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that he has authorized the Minnesota National Guard to be staged and ready to support local and state law enforcement following a fatal shooting involving an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
The move comes after the Jan. 7 shooting, where a 37-year-old woman was shot and killed by an ICE officer during a federal enforcement operation in south Minneapolis.
Videos posted to social media show an officer approaching the stopped SUV and demanding the driver open the door. As the vehicle begins to move forward, another officer standing in front of the vehicle fires multiple shots. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a press conference that the woman, identified as Renee Good, was shot in the head. He said at least two shots were fired during the encounter.
The incident has prompted protests and an ongoing federal investigation.
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“Yesterday, I directed the National Guard to be ready should they be needed. They remain ready in the event they are needed to help keep the peace, ensure public safety, and allow for peaceful demonstrations,” Walz said in a statement.
According to the governor’s office, the National Guard would serve in a support role, focusing on protecting property and safeguarding critical infrastructure, allowing local law enforcement agencies to concentrate on community safety and investigative responsibilities.
In addition to the Guard’s readiness, the Minnesota State Patrol has mobilized 85 members of its Mobile Response Team.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” during a visit to Texas, saying the woman attempted to run over ICE officers with her vehicle as officers were trying to push their vehicle out of the snow. Noem said an officer fired his weapon “to protect himself and the people around him.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected that characterization and criticized the deployment of more than 2,000 federal officers involved in the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The FBI has assumed full control of the investigation, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
While ICE has not publicly identified the officer involved in the shooting, the Star Tribune has named the officer, who was seriously injured during a separate arrest in 2025 in Bloomington, Minnesota. The newspaper cited a person with knowledge of the case and court records.
According to those records, the officer was dragged by a vehicle during a June 2025 arrest of a suspect later convicted of assaulting a federal officer. He sustained significant injuries and required multiple stitches. Federal officials have described the officer involved in the Minneapolis shooting as “experienced,” but ICE has declined to comment further.
Noem confirmed that the officer involved in the shooting was the same officer injured in the earlier Bloomington incident.
