Retired New Jersey police officer and public safety consultant David Berez said Saturday on Newsmax that video from the Minneapolis ICE shooting shows Renee Nicole Macklin Good accelerating with her vehicle "aimed right at" the officer, with "tires spinning," a detail he argued undercuts claims the SUV was trying to avoid contact with the officer.
Berez said on Newsmax's "America Right Now" that the video of the deadly Minneapolis encounter ending in the death of ICE agitator Good shows her vehicle accelerating directly toward ICE officer Jonathan Ross, not easing away from the scene.
Berez described officers issuing repeated, clear commands for the driver to stop and exit, then pointed to the vehicle’s position as officers clustered around the driver's side.
He said the SUV was "aimed right at him as she accelerates," adding that "in the video you can see the tires spinning," which he said meant "we're not talking about a soft acceleration here."
A 47-second cellphone video recorded by Ross and published online showed Good appearing to start driving away as Ross stood at or near the front driver-side corner of the SUV, then firing as the vehicle moves.
The Washington Post reported that in the video, a woman identified as Good’s wife can be heard saying, "Drive, baby, drive," just before the SUV surged forward.
"It's disgusting behavior. It's irrational behavior. And why would you direct that to the other person. And again, she's now left hanging for better lack of better words, as this other person was going to drive away and flee the scene. So what's the intent here? I just think it's irrational behavior that's almost unexplainable, that led them to the circumstance that they were in," Berez said.
The remarks came amid a widening dispute over what happened Wednesday, Jan. 7, at East 34th Street and Portland Avenue in south Minneapolis, where Ross fatally shot Good during ICE operations.
The Department of Homeland Security said the confrontation began when "rioters began blocking ICE officers" and said one person "weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them," calling it "an act of domestic terrorism." DHS said an officer, "fearing for his life," fired "defensive shots" and that the ICE officer who was hurt was expected to recover.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected that account, calling the self-defense narrative "bull***t" and saying, "This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying."
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said in a state public safety department release that the BCA is not conducting a use-of-force investigation, citing a lack of full access to evidence and information.
"Bottom line is I feel really bad that this woman lost her life. I feel bad for her child. I feel bad for the officer whose life is now changed forever for having to take this action. But unfortunately, this woman's actions resulted in her own consequences and the consequences that the officer now has to live with as well. It's sad. It's disturbing, it's unfortunate, it's preventable," Berez said.
"You can't, you can't obstruct, it's the bottom line."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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