A private post-mortem has found that Renee Good, the unarmed American citizen and mother killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, was shot three times. The independent examination was commissioned by lawyers in Chicago representing her family, and its findings were released on Wednesday.
The preliminary autopsy identified wounds to her left forearm and right breast, the latter missing major organs. A third shot struck her on the left side of the head near the temple and exited on the right side. There was also a graze wound consistent with a firearm injury but without penetration, according to reports.
The family's attorneys, Romanucci and Blandin, declined to release the full report, but said they would continue to gather evidence in connection with her death. The findings align with incident reports and transcripts of 911 calls from the shooting on 7 January, which recorded two apparent gunshot wounds to the right side of Good's chest and a possible head wound.
Good's death, which relatives said occurred while she acted as a legal observer of increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Minneapolis, has heightened tensions and prompted a dispute between the Trump administration and local officials. The White House and Department of Homeland Security have maintained that Good was a "domestic terrorist" who aimed her car at an ICE agent, forcing the officer to open fire in self-defence.
However, video clips of the encounter show Good steering away from the agent as she attempted to drive off, with at least two shots fired from the side of the vehicle. State officials have expressed anger at being excluded from an FBI inquiry, noting that federal authorities are examining Good's widow and Democratic leaders such as Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, rather than the officer who killed her, Jonathan Ross. The Department of Justice has said available video evidence cleared Ross and that no criminal investigation is taking place, a stance that led a wave of federal prosecutors to resign in protest.
The Trump administration has continued to blame the victim and support increased immigration enforcement, which has led to violent clashes with protesters and arrests of US citizens and children. Vice-President JD Vance is expected in Minneapolis on Thursday to defend President Donald Trump's decision to send 3,000 federal law enforcement officers to the area.
