Fact Check: Did Tim Walz sign a law letting officers use deadly force on drivers in Minnesota?

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: A claim has been circulating online that a recently signed Minnesota law dramatically changes how and when law enforcement officers are allowed to use deadly force, specifically suggesting that it permits officers to shoot at people in a moving vehicle.

The claim emerged following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good. Let us fact-check this claim.

Claim: Tim Walz signed the law allowing officers to use deadly force

According to the claim, multiple social media posts cited Minnesota Statutes Section 609.066 as justification for the killing, asserting that accelerating a car toward an officer automatically “creates an immediate, life-threatening danger” and that the officer “doesn't need to wait until impact” before using deadly force.

Some posts also claimed that Minnesota Gov Tim Walz had signed the law into effect.

One post on X making the claim reads, “🚨Minnesota Statutes § 609.066If a driver accelerates toward an officer standing in front of the vehicle, this creates an immediate, life-threatening danger.”

“The officer doesn't need to wait until impact; they can act based on the apparent intent and proximity.”

Fact Check: The claim does not appear in the Minnesota Statutes

The claim spreading on social media does not appear in Minnesota law.

Section 609.066 of the Minnesota Statutes, titled “Authorized use of deadly force by peace officers,” defines “deadly force” as force used to cause, or that creates a substantial risk of causing, death or great bodily harm. It also treats the intentional discharge of a firearm “at a vehicle in which another person is believed to be” as deadly force.

However, the statute does not mention cars or state that a vehicle moving toward an officer automatically makes the use of deadly force lawful.

Instead, it specifies that deadly force is justified only if an objectively reasonable officer would believe it is necessary to protect against death or great bodily harm, emphasizing the “totality of the circumstances.”

Although Tim Walz did sign a police reform package that included tightening the criteria for the use of deadly force under Section 609.066, he did not create the law, which has been in effect since 1978.

Moreover, the statute governs only the use of deadly force by Minnesota peace officers and does not apply to federal forces, including ICE. 

The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good

The claims surfaced following the killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent identified as Jonathan Ross.

The shooting occurred amid a federal immigration enforcement surge targeting the Twin Cities area on January 7.

The operation involved a significant deployment of federal agents across Minneapolis and St Paul, marking one of the most aggressive crackdowns in the region in recent years.

Video footage of the incident quickly spread online, drawing scrutiny toward the Department of Homeland Security.