Anatomy of a Murder* on a City Street

Renee Good was white, blond, and drove a family car. The angry mob of ICE agents who surrounded her car could see evidence of family life within the red SUV--stuffed animals, snack wrappers, and other flotsam from children. Those facts did not stop the agents, also white, from yelling at her, grabbing the driver's side door, trying to open the door, and then, one of them, shooting her in cold blood. Not one of these guys inferred that this woman was not a troublemaker, a murderer? What causes law enforcement officers, supposedly men and women trained to handle situations like what occurred on a cold Minneapolis street in January 2026, pull out their guns and shoot a person in the head? What happened to shooting the tires?

Though many Americans would deny this, part of the answer lies in the study of Nazi soldiers and auxiliary policemen in World War II. The same men who killed innocent Jews. Reserve Police Battalion 101 of the German Order Police, one of many police and military squads that killed scores of Jews in Poland, was such a group. In the book, Ordinary Men, the author, Christopher Browning found that there was nothing particularly exceptional about these policemen. They were ordinary working class men from Hamburg, Germany, middle aged reservists.

They were motivated to commit attrocities for a variety of reasons: group dynamics of conformity, deference to authority, role adaptation, and the altering of their morals to justify their actions. As a result of his research, Browning described three groups--eager killers, rule followers, and a small minority who evaded killing. The author studied one group of men. He surmised that most people are susceptible to the pressure of a group, and subsequently will commit actions that they would otherwise never do. Christopher Browning substantiated his findings by reviewing research completed by other social scientists. I think the ICE officers had much in common with the reservist police force from over 80 years ago.

I have no idea what the ICE agents were thinking when they freaked out about a red SUV. They are probably under a great deal of stress. Their job is difficult and unpopular in places. The agents come from different backgrounds. We do not know a thing about them, their mental health, employment and personal history, and qualifications. What is obvious, however, is that some government officials--and I think we know who they are--have brainwashed these men to puff up, look scary, and act like robotic thugs from a teenage video game. Therefore, I think the agent who killed Renee Good was very similar to one of the men who shot innocent Jews in the forests of Poland, influenced by the group and expectations for behavior. This phenomenom is widespread in the world. One example was the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. The murder of students at Kent State University in 1970 also comes to mind. We humans cannot stop killing each other.

Contemporary America has been plagued by wanton violence by the very people who are supposed to protect us. This particular killing is astounding because the person murdered was not of a different race, carrying a weapon, or being threatening. She was not evading arrest or committing a crime. It is quite clear from the videos that Renee Good was friendly and then probably became confused and frightened. She was driving very slowly.

Americans are desensitized to violence. A tragic event catches our attention for some reason. It is only because we notice, that our outrage is inflamed. Otherwise, a shooting becomes just another sad story. So we owe a great deal of gratitude to Renee Good. She was our teacher on Wednesday, reminding us that we are in serious trouble as a country.

Trump and his cronies have exacerbated fear and ensuing violence by creating false narratives, in this case that Minneapolis is being victimized by brown, bloodthirsty criminals. We know this is not true. But a sizable percentage of Americans believe the myths that are being created by unscrupulous individuals. Trump did not start the cycle of violence; he capitalized on it, used the propensity to shoot first then think for his purposes. A good leader does the opposite--lowers the temperature, calms the people, and looks for solutions. Instead, our country is becoming more violent, more fearful, and more suspicious.

I certainly hope that the man who shot Renee Good is taken off the force and rehabilitated, since we know he will not be charged with a crime. Probably this will not occur. He will remain on the job and continue to strut around our cities.

*part of the title is taken from the book and movie, Anatomy of a Murder.

Addendum: New videos have come out that were ostensibly taken by the agent's phone. Someone else--Renee Good's partner?--is heard taunting the agent. I could hear whistles blowing. These are not reasons to kill, but clearly protestors and the other person added to the tension of the scene. Recently, I listened to a streamed information session about observing ICE. The experts from CASA stated that whistles were not recommended, and that one should never confront an ICE agent.

©Karen Levi 2026