'His life was endangered': Vance uses new cellphone video to back ICE agent in Minneapolis shooting

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance on Friday, January 9, stated that the newly released video of Renee Nicole Good’s fatal encounter with an ICE agent proves the officer’s “life was endangered” before he opened fire.

Vance argued that the footage confirms the agent acted in self-defense against a vehicle being used as a weapon.

Newly released cellphone video captures tense standoff between agents and Goods

The footage, recorded on the cellphone of ICE officer Jonathan Ross, shows Good’s wife, Becca Good, speaking to federal agents outside their SUV while Renee sat in the driver’s seat.

As the confrontation intensified, an officer ordered Renee to exit the vehicle, but the 37-year-old mother of three instead began to drive away as her wife told her to flee. 

The Trump administration contends that Renee "willfully" drove toward the officer, leaving him with no choice but to use deadly force. 

JD Vance claims new video disproves common media narratives

The vice president took to his social media to challenge the public perception of the shooting in Minneapolis, accusing the press of spreading propaganda.

“Watch this, as hard as it is,” Vance wrote on X. “Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn’t hit by a car, wasn’t being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman. The reality is that his life was endangered and he fired in self defense.”

The vice president insisted, "What the press has done in lying about this innocent law enforcement officer is disgusting. You should all be ashamed of yourselves."

He also noted that the officer involved has a family and had been seriously injured by a vehicle in a similar incident only six months prior. "Does he have every right to safety while he's doing his job? Yes," Vance added in another post.

Local leaders condemn shooting as federal presence grows

The incident has sparked a fierce debate, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Minnesota lawmakers decrying the agent's actions as unjustified. 

“If you want to say this woman’s death is a tragedy, that we should pray for her soul as Christians and Americans, then I agree with you,” Vance remarked in another X post, while insisting that the safety of agents must remain a priority. He also slammed the media, writing, "But the media dishonesty about this officer is an all-time moment in shameless press propaganda."

He further expressed his support for the officer by stating, “I want our law enforcement officers to do their jobs and come home safely to their family.”

Vance further urged critics to direct their frustrations toward the executive branch rather than the front-line workers, saying, “If you don’t like the immigration policy of the Trump administration, attack me. Leave our law enforcement alone.”