People protest against the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a rally outside the Whipple Building Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Tim Evans/Reuters)
"When you take those circumstances as that officer was actually in them, where he is having to discern whether this unknown but non-compliant driver of a two-ton vehicle, who was not just accelerating toward him but was actually in the process of hitting him, and he's got to decide in that moment, ‘Is this person intending to swerve away from me, or is this person about to floor it right over me with this two-ton vehicle?’ I think it is absolutely reasonable for him in that position to fear that this is an imminent threat," Swearer said.
Swearer added that the perceived danger was not "some light threat" but rather a potentially deadly one.
"It is absolutely reasonable for him to fear death or serious bodily injury and to act in the way that he did to try to neutralize that threat," Swearer said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem gives remarks in July 2025. (Getty Images/Alex Brandon)
Vice President JD Vance said during a news conference that the ICE agent was involved in a harrowing incident six months ago in which he was dragged by a car and required 33 stitches to his leg. He might be "a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile," Vance said.
The vice president said that while Good's death was tragic, "it was a tragedy of her own making" because she had attempted to "obstruct a legitimate law enforcement operation."
DHS also has a "use of force" policy, which was updated during the Biden administration in 2023. Swearer said the agent’s actions appeared in line with that policy.
The policy says a DHS officer should not fire at a moving vehicle strictly to disable it. But the policy is explicit in allowing an officer to discharge guns at the operator of a moving vehicle whenever lethal force is otherwise justified, Swearer noted.
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DHS states that its use of force standards are the "governing legal framework" that the department adheres to.
Good was a mother of three, who, according to her ex-husband, had just dropped her 6-year-old son off at school when she encountered the ICE agents on her drive home, The Associated Press reported.
David Spunt contributed to this report.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ice-agents-actions-minneapolis-shooting-were-absolutely-reasonable-expert