The federal officer steps in front of the Honda SUV, parked nearly perpendicular across a one-way residential street in Minneapolis, with snow piled up on the curb.
\Within seconds, he shoots and kills the driver, Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three.
\Federal officials said the officer acted in self-defense, that the driver was engaging in “an act of domestic terrorism” when she pulled forward toward him and that he was lucky to escape alive.
\Policing experts say some of the choices the officer made in that moment defy practices nearly every law enforcement agency has followed for decades.
\‘A dangerous decision to make’
\Videos filmed by bystanders from several angles show the Honda stopped on Portland Avenue just before the shooting. The driver appears to be signaling to other cars to go around. Comments from bystanders include calls for agents to leave.
\A grey Titan truck comes to a stop, and two officers approach the Honda, demanding the driver exit the vehicle. The Honda's reverse lights activate, but the situation escalates quickly.
\Geoffrey P. Alpert, a policing expert, criticized the officer's decision to stand in front of a moving vehicle, calling the situation ‘absurd’ and inherently dangerous.
\Following the shooting, the Honda careens down the street, leading to a crash with a parked car that raised further questions about the actions taken during the incident. The officer who shot has faced scrutiny for his decisions leading up to the release of lethal force.
\Drops of blood stain the snow
\In the aftermath, bystanders expressed outrage, hurling accusations at law enforcement. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the officer's response was reasonable under the circumstances.
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