WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said it was “sad to see on both sides” as he faced questions Wednesday about the Minnesota ICE shooting that killed a Minneapolis mother during a federal immigration sweep. His more cautious tone came as new video angles, a second ICE-involved shooting and street protests deepened scrutiny of federal tactics, Jan. 14, 2026.
Asked directly about the Minnesota ICE shooting, Trump stopped short of taking a side and said he did not want to decide “right or wrong.” In an interview with Reuters, he also signaled he would wait for investigations to run their course before weighing any pardon for the officer, Jonathan Ross, after earlier calling the victim a “professional agitator” on social media.
Minnesota ICE shooting and the fight over what the videos show
The Minnesota ICE shooting centers on Renee Good, 37, a U.S. citizen and mother of three who was fatally shot Jan. 7 in Minneapolis after Trump surged more than 2,000 federal officers into Minnesota to ramp up immigration enforcement. Federal officials say Ross fired in self-defense, arguing Good used her SUV as a weapon, while Minnesota officials and the family’s attorneys dispute that version and say the available video shows the vehicle moving past the agent.
A 47-second clip recorded by Ross and later reposted by the Department of Homeland Security has intensified the Minnesota ICE shooting debate rather than resolving it. The Associated Press reported the video was first published by the Minnesota-based conservative outlet Alpha News and prompted prosecutors to ask the public to share any additional footage or eyewitness accounts.
Protests widen after another shooting
Late Wednesday, a federal agent shot a man in the leg during an arrest in north Minneapolis, heightening already raw tensions. DHS said the man, described as a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. in 2022, fled a stop and then attacked an officer with help from two others using a snow shovel and broom handle, while city officials again urged calm and demanded federal agents leave the city, according to The Washington Post.
Since the Minnesota ICE shooting, Trump has defended the broader operation, saying he will continue sending officers into U.S. cities and arguing the sweeps are needed to combat crime. ICE data cited by Reuters shows many of those arrested in the crackdown have no criminal charges or prior convictions.
Legal lines, investigations and what comes next
Investigations are moving on multiple tracks, with the FBI leading a federal inquiry and Minnesota officials pursuing their own review amid disputes over access to evidence in the Minnesota ICE shooting. Good’s relatives have hired Romanucci & Blandin, the firm known for representing George Floyd’s family, to conduct an independent investigation and prepare potential civil claims.
Use-of-force experts note federal immigration agents are bound by the same constitutional limits as other law enforcement, including the requirement that deadly force be reserved for an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. Time magazine explained that any state prosecution could also collide with federal “supremacy” immunity, a doctrine often raised when officers argue they were carrying out federal duties.
For Minneapolis, the Minnesota ICE shooting has revived memories of earlier, video-driven crises and the protests that followed. The city agreed to a $27 million settlement with George Floyd’s family in 2021, and demonstrations after the 2021 police killing of Daunte Wright sparked days of unrest in nearby Brooklyn Center, as NHPR reported.
