Former Arizona DPS director says fatal Minneapolis ICE shooting could have been avoided

PHOENIX — Former Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Frank Milstead explained Thursday why he believes an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer’s fatal shooting of a female motorist in Minneapolis could have been avoided.

The officer shot 37-year-old Renee Good in the head after 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday during an immigration crackdown. Federal officials claimed that the officer was acting in self-defense.

“The policy of the Phoenix Police Department, the Mesa Police Department (and) the Arizona Department of Public Safety is you do not shoot at moving vehicles,” Milstead told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on Thursday. “And you can see what happened after they shot her. The car veered off out of control and fortunately only hit other parked cars and didn’t run over innocent bystanders.”

Milstead also noted that bullets don’t typically stop a 4,000-pound car.

“Now, if you’re in a vehicle shooting at other people, (yes) you might return fire then,” Milstead added.

What did the former AZ DPS director say ICE officers could have done?

Milstead said that for the most part time was on the officer’s side, noting that he had enough time to circle the car while filming before coming to a stop in front of Good’s car. The former DPS director added that the officer shouldn’t have been in front of the car in the first place.

“There’s absolutely options. … She’s apparently been sitting there for several minutes,” Milstead said. “You could put a spike strip out. You could actually try to use verbal commands to get her to stop and exit the vehicle.”

He noted the officers also had information on Good — they had her license plate number and her picture — and could have gone to arrest her at a later time.

“There’s no urgency that she has to be apprehended at that moment,” Milstead said. “All I can tell you is that this woman should not have died yesterday.”

Milstead argued an exception to using deadly force would be if the person fleeing is a known felon.

According to the Associated Press, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” against ICE officers.

However, Milstead disagreed and said that Good was a misguided demonstrator.

“(She) put herself in a situation that she shouldn’t be in,” Milstead said. “I don’t think you get to shoot her. I don’t think you get to shoot at her. I think you do an investigation and go find her later in the day or next week and arrest her for being in a place she shouldn’t be.”

Minneapolis ICE shooting won’t help public’s trust in law enforcement

Milstead emphasized that this doesn’t help the effort to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the public that has been ongoing since George Floyd was killed in 2020 — about a mile from where Good was shot and killed.

“I would tell you that the administration is misguided. … If you’re going to tell everybody you’re going after the worst of the worst, don’t go arrest everybody at a car factory that’s overstaying their visa,” Milstead said. “Use your own video personnel to ride along with your agents and document those people that are the worst of the worst that you’re arresting and show the public that’s what you’re doing.”

He added just rounding up people to meet quotas isn’t ideal either.

As for the public, Milstead advised them not to get into confrontations with law enforcement.

“If you’re given lawful commands, even if you don’t agree with them, obey them so you’re not harmed and they’re not harmed,” Milstead said. “If you don’t like what they’re doing, change your vote and go vote people out so you can do it differently.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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