Two Tons Versus Two Hundred Pounds

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Politically, we have a firestorm brewing. In Minneapolis, an ICE agent shot and killed a protester. In Portland, ICE shot two more, this time in a felony traffic stop. As I write this, Law Dork reports protests in DC demanding “STOP ICE TERROR NOW.”

On the opposite side, we have DHS Secretary Noem calling the actions of the protesters in Minneapolis “domestic terrorism,” and VP Vance clearly outlining the facts indicating that the shooting was, in police parlance, “a good shoot” in self-defense. The cherry on top of this fecal sundae is Minnesota Governor Walz’s assignment of the Minnesota National Guard to “assist Minneapolis police.” One must wonder just what sort of “help” they’ll be ordered to provide after Minneapolis Mayor Frey shouted that ICE must “get the f*** out of Minneapolis!”

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The single legal question that must be asked is simple. “Does this shoot qualify as self-defense?” Full Stop. If it’s self-defense, then no further legal action can proceed against Officer Ross. Further, if it’s self-defense, qualified immunity will bar civil actions against him as well. There is no better authority on the Law of Self-Defense in the US than Andrew Branca. He outlines the five elements necessary for a civilian to sustain a claim of self-defense.

1. Innocence. The person using deadly defensive force must not be in the wrong as the instigator.

2. Imminence. The threat of great bodily injury or death must be “right now” or so close as to make no difference.

3. Proportionality. The use of deadly defensive force must be in response to a similar threat, not to a trivial insult.

4. Avoidance. Where practical, if the defender can get out of the way of the major threat, deadly force is generally not permissible.

5. Reasonableness. What would a rational, reasonable person do in the same situation?

Note that these all apply to civilians. The police have special dispensations due to their status and duties.

A civilian has no right, contrary to lots of TV shows, to “pick a fight.” If you then use deadly force in that fight, because you are the instigator, you cannot claim self-defense. Again, full stop.

Law enforcement officers are in a radically different position. Their job includes approaching and apprehending hostile individuals who often regard police presence as a provocation to a deadly confrontation. That’s why they generally work as teams. Two officers are often enough to convince a miscreant to quietly turn around and put their hands behind their backs.

If a potentially deadly confrontation arises out of a police encounter, the legal presumption is that the police were acting within the scope of their duties. This is called “qualified immunity.” Yes, there are cases where that is abused, but not this time. We have video from multiple angles, and some of it has audio, so the circumstances are well established.

In 2025, in Barnes v. Felix, the Supreme Court established that “the totality of the circumstances” is properly in view, and this inquiry has no time limit. Relevant to Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security reports that there were sixty-six vehicular attacks against ICE officers in the last year.

These compare with only two in the last year of the Biden occupation of the White House. In particular, the officer in this shooting was the victim of one such attack and suffered serious injuries from it. This would, as VP Vance noted, make him a bit sensitive to the risk of being run over.

Returning to the list, the threat of serious bodily injury or death to the officer was not just imminent; it was immediate. We know from the officer’s video that he walked all the way around the car. While he was near the driver’s window, she taunted him. This was part of the training both Good and her partner had received from Minnesota ICE Watch to interfere with ICE.

As Officer Ross continued to walk to the rear and then the passenger side of the car, other officers commanded Renee Nicole Good to “get out of the car.” This was a lawful command that Good was obligated to obey.

Instead, as Officer Ross started to cross in front of the car, Good’s lesbian partner Rebecca yelled, “Drive, Baby, drive, drive!” Good put the car in reverse with the front wheel turned hard right, slamming two officers with the side of her car, committing the felony (times two) of assaulting an officer during the performance of his duty.

Good then shifted into Drive and stepped hard on the gas, as evidenced by her tires spinning. Simultaneously, she turned the wheel left, aiming her car directly at Officer Ross, who was moving to get out of her path. Good was now assaulting a third officer. The car lurched forward, and Officer Ross was left with no alternative.

Ross was facing an immediate threat of serious bodily injury or death. His only choices were to be run over or employ deadly force to stop a deadly force attack. He fired three times, and Good died. In the process, he was still struck by the car, but not in a way that caused significant injury.

Good’s felonies now include failure to obey a lawful order by a law enforcement officer, three counts of aggravated assault against three different law enforcement officers, attempted murder, and unlawful vehicular flight. Officer Ross acted properly.

The Supreme Court has held that the reckless operation of a motor vehicle is “an extreme danger to human life,” justifying deadly force (Scott v. Harris). This was reinforced in Plumhoff v. Rickard. Intentional vehicular flight from police is a “violent felony” (Sykes v. US).

There can be no logical argument that the shooting was not a proportional response, in that Officer Ross was attempting to end a lethal force encounter. It happened so fast that he had no ability to avoid the confrontation. He could only hear the spinning of the tires on the pavement and see the car coming directly at him from a very short distance.

Given the Supreme Court’s rulings, one could say that it would have been unreasonable for him simply to allow Good to continue. He had to react in an instant to a lethal threat. He also had a duty to protect the public from a continuing lethal threat.

The entire event would have been avoided if Good and her partner had simply complied with the law rather than interfering with law enforcement while leading the protest. And that brings us to a second point.

Because Rebecca Good encouraged and participated in Renee’s unlawful acts, under the law, she is guilty as well. And because Good died during the commission of felonies, that can be considered First Degree Murder. Rebecca should be charged with attempted murder of Officer Ross, First Degree Murder of Renee Good, three counts of assault on a law enforcement officer, and unlawful vehicular flight.

America needs a peaceful society. The Left is showing that “by any means necessary” means exactly that. That cannot be permitted to continue. We need to believe the Left when they tell us who they are. We need to know that those who violate the law will be brought swiftly to justice. Only then will our streets become safe.

Ted Noel is a retired physician who posts on social media as Doctor Ted. His occasional Doctor Ted’s Prescription podcast is available on multiple podcast channels