Fact Check: Did United Nations demand independent investigation into Renee Nicole Good's shooting?
WASHINGTON, DC: The shooting of Renee Nicole Good, 37, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on January 7, sent shockwaves across the country, leading to criticism by the people towards the Trump administration.
Recently, a rumor floated online claiming that the United Nations had demanded an independent probe into the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.
Claim: UN demanded independent probe into fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good
In mid-January, a rumor circulated across social media platforms, such as Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky, after the FBI shut out Minnesota law enforcement from the investigation into Good's death, and federal prosecutors based in the state reportedly resigned after the Justice Department pushed for a probe into Good's widow.
Meanwhile, Good's family reportedly hired the same law firm that represented the family of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020, to investigate Good's death.
A Facebook post read, "The United Nations just put the US on notice over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis last week."
"The UN rights office demanded a swift, independent and transparent investigation, underscoring that international human-rights law only allows lethal force as a last resort against an imminent threat and tensions over this killing have erupted nationwide," the post added.
Fact Check: The rumor is a mix of true and false statements
The claims made in the online posts are a mixture of true and false statements. Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for an independent investigation into Good's death.
However, Laurence was speaking only on behalf of the office, not on behalf of the United Nations as a whole or its member nations.
The OHCHR, an expert body that gives recommendations to the UN, does not possess the authority to compel the US to open an independent investigation into Good's death.
Moreover, the office should not be confused with the UN Human Rights Council, which is composed of UN member states and has the authority to adopt resolutions. No UN body with the authority to pass policy or settle legal disputes has demanded an investigation into Good's killing.
Interestingly, the claim seems to have originated from news headlines that conflated the United Nations with the UN human rights office. The American magazine Barron's republished an article titled, 'UN Demands Independent Probe Into Woman's Killing By US Immigration Officer.'
However, later it clarified that the 'UN rights office voiced deep concern at the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good,' not the entire intergovernmental organization.
