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Erin Burnett Outfront
Police: Two People Shot By Federal Agents In Portland; Protests Erupt In Minneapolis. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired January 08, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:24]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, CNN just learning the FBI is investigating a shooting in Portland, Oregon, involving Border Patrol agents.
This just breaking this time as protesters are gathering in Minneapolis and multiple locations. Tensions are high. And federal agents and protesters coming face to face. We're live on the ground in Minneapolis and also with new details on this breaking news just coming in out of Portland.
We also have some new video coming into OUTFRONT from an eyewitness. This is new. She was four or five feet away from the incident yesterday. She's going to tell us exactly what she saw, why she says Trump's version of events is wrong. Again, she was four feet away.
And new details this hour on the ICE officer who killed Renee Nicole Good. We have a special report and a lot of new information. Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. We are just learning that two people were shot by Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon. I just put up on the screen here the information that we have.
This is a post by the Portland FBI. They are saying two people were wounded. As you can see, they're investigating an agent involved shooting that they say happened in Portland, Oregon, involving Customs and Border Patrol agents, in which two individuals were wounded.
Now, they say that this is an active and ongoing investigation by the FBI. And we are getting some more information here. We're going to be bringing this to you in a moment as we get it. And through our system here on what exactly happened in Portland, as that is an active situation at this moment.
There is a tense scene as well in Minneapolis, where the National Guard right now is on standby. Protests are growing there after the ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old woman driving that car.
These are live pictures in Minneapolis. Youve got people gathering. Many of them are angry. There is frustration.
Weve got video from earlier here. Just moments ago, protesters taunting and yelling at agents just before dusk, some running. There were chemical irritants fired.
The governor of Minnesota has put the National Guard for the state on notice to protect law enforcement. Meantime, upping the tension, DHS now is posting a video of more agents being sent to conduct ICE raids in Minnesota. The caption in all caps for that is the work continues.
This is as the administration tonight is staunchly defending the officer who killed Good, while Vice President Vance calls Good a deranged leftist. He says she was part of a conspiracy to attack ICE.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What that headline leaves out is that that woman has is part of a broader left wing network to attack, to dox, to assault, and to make it impossible for ICE officers to do their job. You have a woman who aimed her car at a law enforcement officer and pressed on the accelerator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: When pressed on these claims, though, you know, specifically aiming, the accelerator part, which eyewitnesses have said is not the case, the video doesn't show that, the administration doesn't have answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Who do you think is behind this broader left wing network?
VANCE: Well, it's one of the things we're going to have to figure out. I wouldn't say that she was paid. I don't have the evidence to say that one way or the other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Important that he says he doesn't have the evidence there. In a moment, we're going to be joined by an eyewitness who is choosing to break her silence and speak out now about what she saw. This is part of her video. We're going to be bringing it to you for the first time. She'll tell you what she saw from four to five feet away, because it is true. The details of this case must be investigated. Even though the federal government says they've reached a conclusion already.
They call this an act of domestic terrorism. State investigators are trying to do their job and get the facts. Minnesota officials say Trump's DOJ is blocking them from accessing case materials and scene evidence. And we're also hearing that from the governor of Minnesota.
So, we're following both of these breaking stories here at this moment. Let's go to Priscilla Alvarez, who has more information here on what is breaking in Portland, Oregon, from that FBI posting to shot.
Priscilla, what do you know?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erin, we're still collecting information about this. We're getting the statement from the FBI, as well as hearing from the Portland police bureau. So let me start with what the Portland police bureau has said. Two people they said are hospitalized after they were shot by federal agents. They gave a bit of a timeline here, saying that today at 2:18 p.m. Pacific Time, police officers responded to an area for a report of a shooting. Officers confirmed that federal agents were involved in this.
They then said that officers responded to people who had been shot at a different location, so it's unclear why there -- describing two different locations here, they were transported to the hospital.
Let me read what the chief said. He said, quote, we are still in the early stages of this incident. Goes on to say we understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.
[19:05:21]
Now, the FBI Portland did provide more information about who these federal agents are. They say that they are with Customs and Border Protection, that these two individuals were wounded. And they say that this remains an active and ongoing investigation. Of course, Erin, we've also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, and we haven't heard back yet, but we do not yet know the circumstances around how this unfolded. And we're still in the early stages, as we're hearing from the Portland police bureau and from the FBI.
BURNETT: And, Priscilla, I'm sorry, but just to be clear here, from what we do and don't know, sounds like there's a lot of questions about location and what happened. Do we know who shot whom at all at this point.
ALVAREZ: We don't. And those are the questions that we are going to be asking. Because if we look here at what the FBI is saying, it says that this shooting involved customs and border protection and two individuals were wounded. And according to the Portland police bureau, hospitalized. So again, Erin, these are questions that were asking and hoping to get more information on soon.
BURNETT: All right. Crucial, crucial questions. And we are going to get more information. I know we've got some coming up here in just a few moments.
You know, the FBI as we're trying to get these details, acknowledging the context here of the heightened emotion in Minneapolis. And that is -- is what is their anger and frustration on the streets there?
Ryan Young and Omar Jimenez are there.
And, Omar, I want to begin with you. It is now dark in Minneapolis. What is the situation where you are
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we are just south of downtown Minneapolis, just blocks from where the shooting happened and blocks from where Renee Nicole Good lived. And we've been wandering this protest that has been steadily growing over the past hour. At this point, I'll bring you in just a little bit closer.
You can see how many people have gathered in this intersection here. And there have been chants at points, a lot of signs, some in Spanish, one that says (SPEAKING SPANISH). We shout for those that can't.
And really, this is reflected a lot of the anger that many in this community have felt a day removed from this shooting. I can tell you I was just outside a federal building, not too not too long ago, miles from here. And there was also a line of protesters that had been facing off with Border Patrol agents.
Now, critically, here, we do not see any Border Patrol agents. Frankly, we don't even see any police or anything like that where were standing. But to give you an idea of kind of the setup here, really, it's just -- there's a car sort of blocking this street and you see cars, I think kind of finding out that, hey, this this intersection is closed for this protest.
But even in the pouring cold January Minneapolis rain here, people have steadily been adding to this particular protest. They've got flags. Some have chanted various things were monitoring to see if they end up marching from here. But this has been very emblematic of what we've seen at various portions of the city.
And I can't emphasize enough we are just blocks, not only from where the shooting happened. We're also not too far from George Floyd Square, as it's been known here, where George Floyd was killed. So, this part of the city in particular has seen a lot of these types of emotions over the past few years.
This latest iteration, though in particular aimed at federal immigration law enforcement, as you see, the crowd cheering over some of the chants behind me here, Erin.
BURNETT: Yeah. You can hear some of those cheers erupting as you were speaking.
All right. Omar, thank you very much. Omar, with us here, as our coverage continues here in the now dark, obviously in Minneapolis.
Let's go to Ryan Young, who is also there.
Ryan, what are you seeing where you are?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This really is the epicenter of all the protests over the last 24 hours or so. We started our day here when it was dark before 7:00 a.m., when there were hundreds of protesters who were here, and we were here for the sort of back-and-forth, the melees that have happened all throughout the day. We're talking no less than eight, sort of back and forth, and we've seen people get arrested.
Now, if you look in the direction over there, you can see Border Patrol agents, the ones that are left here that are standing guard of this gate. The gates were blocked throughout the day. There's three gates here at this federal plaza here. And they -- protesters knew that they needed to access this building and go back and forth.
At one point, Greg Bovino himself was out here, but there's been no less than the eight sort of altercation that we've seen. Weve seen people get arrested. We've seen people get escorted to their cars. We've seen Border Patrol agents lose their cool yelling at the crowd, asking them to leave.
[19:10:00]
This is all happening here. And then at one point, the streets here were not only swollen with Border Patrol agents, there were protesters who came from all across Minnesota who wanted to be here to have their voices heard.
Now, throughout the day, there were several of the protest organizers who asked those people to return back to their neighborhoods so that they could sort of help in this effort. Now, this is the first time we've seen this. It looks like they are falling back toward their cars, and you see some of the protesters searching for it.
This is usually what ends up happening. They fall back. People search for it. Then someone releases some pepper balls. Then there's a chase and then there's an arrest.
That's what we've been witnessing all day long, right in front of our cameras. So far, I think we've counted about six people who've been detained, but we don't know the status of this point of where those people are being taken. But we'll continue to monitor this throughout the night -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Ryan, thank you very much. I know you'll be with us through this hour.
And we are obtaining some new video right now from a witness named Betsy, who is just four to five feet away from where the victim's car crashed after that shooting in Minneapolis. For security reasons, Betsy has asked us not to include her last name, but she is choosing to speak out now and share what she saw because it is so important.
And, Betsy, I appreciate you doing this, and I know, I know, you had hesitation and its very understandable, of course, that you that you do. I know you were outside and you were on a walk. You hear the whistles which sometimes can alert people that ICE is nearby that have been used over these months. And then you're four to five feet away from all of this horrible incident that -- and tragedy that unfolded.
What can you share with me about what you saw?
BETSY: Thanks, Erin. So, I was heading -- I was returning home from a dog walk. I was
heading west on 34th Street, toward Portland Avenue, and I turned right onto Portland. I was heading north on Portland, on the east side of the street. So, I was on the opposite side of the street from where most of the observers were standing.
And what I saw when I came around the corner was a maroon SUV. I could see a driver in the car. There were a number of neighbors who were observers of the activity on the west side of Portland Avenue, making sounds with whistles.
And there were a number of what appeared to be federal agents in the street. One of the agents was yelling at the driver of the car, and at this time, her car was diagonal on Portland Avenue with the front of her car facing toward the southeast intersection. I could tell from the movements of her hands. She was endeavoring to kind of adjust her car, so it was facing south, and as she began to accelerate her vehicle. What the agents standing next to the driver's side window and who was yelling at her through the window, extended his arm and fired his gun multiple times.
At that point, the car did begin to accelerate a little bit. But you could at this. And the car was kind of moving toward where I was standing, so I could get a clear view of the driver. I could see her head lolled back onto the headrest. I could see a lot of blood.
The car, like, quickly began to decelerate and collided with a parked car that was just a few feet away from where I was standing.
BURNETT: I'm sorry that that you had to see that. It's just horrific.
Betsy, what you're describing, though, because now we have all seen these videos so many times, the videos some of the ones that were showing obviously are from the other vantage point, but you're actually saying you were on the other side of the street, which is really crucial because we haven't heard from people who've had that perspective. So you're actually looking as opposed to what we're looking at now, which is from the back of the car, essentially from the from the front.
It sounds like what you're saying, and I know that, that you don't know and I don't know, but what you're saying in terms of when she accelerated, would be consistent with the fact that after she shot, sort of the last thing that happens horribly as she's dying is that her foot may have hit the accelerator
BETSY: Yeah. And I want to be really clear, on the, the position that I was looking at the car, I was on the east side of the street. So I was kind of like in front of and on the driver's side, of the, of the scene. And I could clearly see the agent standing next to the driver's side window. There were no agents standing in front of the car. Agents were standing next to the car.
BURNETT: So, when they say -- I know obviously, we've heard the version of events that she plowed through him. Obviously, that's not consistent with what you saw at all, but even when it comes to bumping him --
BETSY: Yeah.
BURNETT: -- is that -- is that word even fair?
BETSY: No, I'm -- not -- not that -- I didn't see anybody get bumped.
[19:15:02]
The agents were moving toward the vehicle. They were gesturing at the driver. They were yelling at her. They were agitated, but, they were not in danger of being injured or hurt by the vehicle at all.
BURNETT: And I know after this, when you saw her head rolled back and, you know, you had that that horrific, unfortunately, vantage point, you saw the other woman covered in blood, who you say was then trying to provide aid to the driver, to the victim. She's identified herself as the victim's wife.
What can you share about her and your interaction with her?
BETSY: So immediately after the collision, I saw a woman, run across the street who had been over on the west side of Portland Avenue. She ran across the street, ran to the car, ran to the driver's side door, flung the door open. She moved her body into the car, trying to provide aid to the driver.
She was extremely distressed. She was yelling, "Somebody, get help! Call 911. Why is nobody helping?" And at that moment I was standing just five or six feet away. And so, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and attempted to dial 911. I was not able to get through, and at that moment, I did have my phone in my hand, and it occurred to me to try to take some video.
But as I looked up, federal agents were beginning to approach the scene of the collision, and they were holding firearms and forcefully commanding bystanders to move away from the scene, which was very scary and intimidating given everything that had just happened. And so, I felt really scared, and I moved away from the doorway of the building. I was standing in front of and into the yard on the side of the building.
And that's when I began to take a little bit of video of the scene, in which you can see, you know, agents moving toward the vehicle and the collision.
BURNETT: Yes, yes, we can.
All right. Well, Betsy, thank you very much for choosing -- to choosing to speak and the perspective that you had where you were standing is so crucial as it's so important to get the facts out here. So, thank you for choosing to do that. And again, I know understandable hesitation. So, thank you
BETSY: Thank you. BURNETT: All right. Our panel is here. And also joining us is the
former Minneapolis police chief, Medaria Arradondo. She was chief of police when George Floyd was killed. And during the widespread protests that followed.
So we're very happy to have you with us as well, Chief.
Joey, can we just start with what Betsy just said? I mean, she -- obviously was incredible to be able to come on and speak like that when you something like that happens in front of you. Her perspective on this is crucial, because she was standing where she could see the whole thing from the front of the car, and she's saying she didn't see at all what is described.
What did Vice President Vance said, it's very clear that her vehicle went right for the guy today. That's not what Betsy is describing at all. She was four feet away.
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yeah. So, the first thing is, is generally, there's an investigation and then there's a judgment. What we have now are federal officials who apparently took charge of the investigation, imposing the judgment and then saying they're going to do --
BURNETT: This is a domestic terror incident. This is what happened. And that's it.
JACKSON: Correct, right. Usually, you would interview witnesses. You would look at tape, you do a variety of things, and then you would draw conclusions. It seems like it's the other way around. It also seems as though state officials are being cut out of the investigation.
Why is this critical? We talk about public confidence and public trust. It's the pillar of our system. We now have a government that's saying there's nothing to see here. The FBI is taking control, and the people on the top have already deemed what the conclusion should be.
The state has an interest here, and that state interest is to investigate. I'll also say this, Erin, briefly, the bottom line is that there's been claims about an absolute immunity here. And J.D. Vance has given the indication that there's absolute immunity.
BURNETT: Yeah.
JACKSON: I can tell you unequivocally that that is not true, and that is not the status of the law. If it were the status of the law officials -- federal officials would go out and kill people and say, hey, why even investigate? Because we can do whatever we want.
In fact, the Supreme Court addressed this very issue last year, Martin versus United States, and said that that is not the case. And I will tell you, there's some kind of qualified immunity if you're acting in a way that's necessary and proper.
However, the law is very clear that in the event that you violate federal rules, the event that you violate state statutes, you can be prosecuted. And so we'll see whether the state does its due diligence and investigates anyway, notwithstanding the fed saying we're taking over and whether they decide to prosecute.
BURNETT: All right. As this is happening, and you just saw Ryan and Omar in Minneapolis and crowds gathering, John, we have this this story out of Portland. And I shared the breaking news that there have been two people shot in an officer-involved -- law enforcement involved shooting that that we understand included Customs and Border Protection officers in Portland. This is just breaking right now.
You have gotten some more information on that I believe you can share with us. What have you learned?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: So we'll start off with this is all preliminary because our collective experience with these things, we learn again and again that the first story usually changes.
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BURNETT: Yeah.
MILLER: But here's what we have right now from sources who have been briefed on the preliminary information, which is this was Customs and Border Protection agents. You may find that there were other agents from ERO or another DHS entity there because they do mix in these arrest teams, who were attempting to make a car stop to affect an arrest in an immigration matter. Don't have the details on that.
There were shots fired during that car stop. There is a husband and wife we are told in the car. Husband shot in the arm we're informed. Wife shot in the chest. Condition unknown.
You pointed out earlier that there was some confusion because there are two locations that were getting from the Portland police.
BURNETT: Yes, Priscilla mentioned that. Yes.
MILLER: Where there was one location where they had shots fired and another location where they had to respond. It appears from that that they tried to initiate this car stop at one place. The car may have taken off and moved.
BURNETT: So, there may have been a chase. I don't want to put word, but it may have been that sort of a situation?
MILLER: It appears that this move from one place to another, which indicates the car may have taken off. We don't know yet, and we also don't know whether the shots fired happened at the beginning of that encounter or at the end of that encounter a couple of blocks away.
BURNETT: Okay.
MILLER: So still very fresh, still very much developing. BURNETT: All right. And crucial, like you say, to not know whether
they happened at the beginning or the end. We just don't know. We don't know much.
But you're pointing out Priscilla said they're both in the hospital, wounded, and your reporting -- there were a husband and a wife, that he was shot in the arm. She was shot in the chest.
Chief Arradondo, I just want to give you a chance to respond to what we're hearing here out of Portland. I mean, obviously, it's incredibly disturbing. What we have here is preliminary, but incredibly disturbing in this moment
MEDARIA ARRANDONDO, FORMER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF: Yeah. Erin, I think that, you know, as we were looking here in the state of Minnesota with this, this surge capacity of at least 2,000 ICE agents, you know, after yesterdays, officer ace -- ICE agent officer-involved shooting with the death of Ms. Good. You know, you're concerned with that many agents. You know, my friend John Miller mentioned that right now, the Minneapolis police departments complement is about 600 officers. You know, you've got way more ICE officers occupying the city of Minneapolis and other parts of Minnesota.
The probability of something bad happening, you know, you're concerned about that. Now hearing what John has just talked about, at least the preliminary information in Portland. That obviously, at least with the information that it was an ICE related immigration, possibly related incident, you know, these are things that can get tense.
You know, I was out last night with CNN's Laura Coates and Oscar Jimenez last night at the vigil. Even at that moment in Minneapolis, I mean, you can feel the tension that's out there. And so, you know, all of these things can play into it.
And so, we're just hoping that you know, that we can, you know, if ICE is going to continue to be doing their operations, you know, across the country. We just want to make sure that people are safe, that officers are safe. And so, we'll continue to get more information, obviously, about what occurred in Portland, but still monitoring the situation here in Minneapolis.
BURNETT: Yeah. I mean, and we're keeping images of that as well as crowds are gathering in Minneapolis. And, joey, these are very preliminary details. We don't know. We know it was an immigration- related stop, at least from the preliminary information that John shared. We don't know if the car was fleeing, if they were shot first before fleeing, or afterwards when they thought they were. We don't know.
These are really important things to know, but in the moment that we're in, with all of the heightened pressure, it is as horrible as it is to say, not a shock, probably to people, although very upsetting to hear something like this happening right now.
JACKSON: It's got to be. But the bottom line is there has to be standards that govern conduct and the one standard that's very important is that you don't shoot into a vehicle that's moving, with rare exceptions, you're not permitted to go after a, you know, a fleeing felon or shooting. You can go after them, but shooting them is not proper for a variety of reasons.
And one of which is we saw the car careening after that fact because it represents a danger to people on the street. The other issue, very quickly, Erin, is that you look to the immediacy of the danger. And is there an immediate fear of death or serious bodily injury.
You look to the proportionality of the response, do you need to shoot? Can you get out of the way? And in fact, the guidance from the DOJ says, get out of the way of the car, don't shoot into it.
And then the last analysis is, are you acting reasonably? And if you're not doing these things, it presents concerns for prosecution and certainly public trust with regard to law enforcement at all levels.
BURNETT: And ICE has been using, as we know, for several months now, car stops as a method to enforce immigration. They have been and we have seen that around the country.
On the phone now is Congresswoman Janelle Bynum, whose district includes part of Portland.
Congresswoman, I appreciate you taking the time.
This is very preliminary information that we're getting here. And I'm just -- obviously, so let's just start here with what you have learned. What do you know about the officer, the Customs and Border Patrol shooting in Portland right now?
REP. JANELLE BYNUM (D-OR) (via telephone): Well, we know that their presence is not welcome. And the way that they're attempting to do law enforcement, we don't believe that it's law enforcement. We believe it is state-sponsored terrorism. And so, we've made several calls over and over and over again for the president to stop sending goons to Portland and to leave us alone.
BURNETT: Okay. Do you know anything about the shooting itself, about the people shot or anything? Have you -- have officials shared any of that information with you?
BYNUM: Yes. My staff has shared with me that there was an interaction. The -- there were two people involved. There was a gunshot. At least one gunshot fired. The people from the original site of the firing drove to another site and are being treated at a local hospital.
We recently learned that there was a report of a gunshot wound to the chest had not confirmed that. And, of course, more information is forthcoming. We also know that there has been a heightened sense of concern because we've gotten reports that ICE or Border Patrol has been impersonating or appearing to impersonate utility workers. And so, we just received notification on that as well. So, there's a heightened sense in the community that these people are
out there, that they're goonish and they're willing to stop at nothing to terrorize people.
BURNETT: Congresswoman, that's a lot of new information that you just shared. What you're talking about that they heard one gunshot. I know, obviously, we don't know whether there were more or not, but you're talking about one. We know of possibly injuries to both people or two in the hospital from John Miller. Maybe one gunshot affected both. We just don't know.
But I want to just clarify one thing. It sounds like what you're saying, to make sure I heard you correctly, that you were saying that they -- that the gunshot incident itself happened at the first location and then they proceeded to the second location after the gunshot. Did I hear you correctly?
BYNUM: That is what I understand. There was a parking lot involved in the first, and then there was an apartment building involved in a secondary location. How the hospital plays into that third location, I'm not exactly sure, but that is what I understand.
BURNETT: Well, Congresswoman, I appreciate it very much.
One other final question. You may not know the answer, but I just asked you in case do you know the relationship between the two shot? I mean, were they husband and wife? Are they U.S. citizens? Do you know any of that information or at this point, is that unknown?
BYNUM: No, that's unknown to us. What I -- what I want to make sure that everybody understands is that they are unwelcome in Portland. And we need these things gone. They should get to step in (ph).
BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate your time, Congresswoman. Thank you very much for coming on and being willing to share what you do know at this time. Thank you.
And our breaking news coverage continues. We're going to take a very brief break. We are following this breaking story out of Portland, Oregon, a shooting with Customs and Border Patrol agents. We understand two people shot by those federal agents, possibly in a vehicle.
And the live pictures of the growing protests in Minneapolis at this hour, agents firing tear gas at the crowd earlier today. The official who oversees the city's police department will be OUTFRONT.
And the vice president calling Renee Nicole Good a deranged leftist. So, what do we know about her? We talk to people who knew her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:33:04]
BURNETT: Welcome back. We're following two breaking stories right now. In Oregon, Portland's
mayor just calling for ICE to end all operations in his city. The breaking news there that two people have been shot and wounded by Customs and Border Patrol federal agents.
We understand -- we're getting more information on this, but a source telling CNN it was a husband and wife in their car during a vehicle stop. The stop happened in one place. The car ended up in another.
There's a lot we don't know there, but obviously significant story as we get more information and we have more coming in. We're vetting it. We're going to share it with you immediately.
We also have live pictures out of Minnesota where the National Guard is on standby right now. So, you see those images up as heated protests are ramping up across the city of Minneapolis, a day after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman. That has, of course, sparked the outrage that you see on your screen right now.
The FBI's investigation into the incident as of now has cut out state officials so that conflict is going on and on, that I want to bring in Todd Barnette, who oversees the Minneapolis Police Department and also serves as the community safety commissioner for the city. Also, a former judge, prosecutor and public defender.
As first commissioner, you see this from every vantage point. And, you know, we've seen these images today. The clashes between law enforcement and protesters, the use of tear gas. Our Ryan Young was talking about that.
The protesters surged forward. The tear gas comes out. They are pushed back. The unfortunate wave that we have seen in other cities and situations in recent months because of immigration enforcement. DHS says it's accelerating its operations there.
So, how concerned are you right now?
TODD BARNETTE, MINNEAPOLIS COMMUNITY SAFETY COMMISSIONER: Thanks for having me.
First, I just want to say my condolences to the woman who was killed by the ICE agent yesterday in the city of Minneapolis. Condolences to her family and friends.
[19:35:03]
I'm very concerned with the activity that's happening within the city of Minneapolis and around the country.
We've predicted that what's been going on with the activity by ICE here in our city? That is a dangerous situation for them, for our residents and for our visitors.
BURNETT: So, you know, the investigations that are going on here were not going on here, right? The federal government has said that, you know, Kristi Noem has called it an act of domestic terror. Vice President Vance today said, and I quote him first commissioner, he said, it is very clear that her vehicle went right for the guy so that they have they have drawn their conclusions. State officials have not been included into any investigation.
So what does that mean? Are we going to find out fully what happened and have a fulsome investigation from any quarter here?
BARNETTE: You know, Erin, this is so disappointing. I know from my experience as a judge, you know, being the chief judge overseeing the Derek Chauvin trial, how important independent, thorough investigation is. And specifically in this situation, not to have our state experts who have done dozens of these types of investigations involve concerns me because it gets down to accountability, transparency and trust in our community.
And our community has to trust that this investigation is thorough and fair.
BURNETT: So when Vice President Vance and Secretary Noem and President Trump all say this was a clear act of self-defense, and it was Secretary Noem who called it a domestic terror incident yesterday, it was Vice President Vance who said the car went straight forward. Trump also said almost the exact same thing.
Youve been a prosecutor, you've been a public defender, you've been a judge. You're now in charge of the police department. You've seen the videos. Do you -- do you see anything to back up such black and white clear conclusions at this point?
BARNETTE: You know, Erin, none of those opinions matter in the court. It's not admissible. The important thing is from the guests that you had earlier, the eyewitness. We need to investigate those situations with the people that was there and saw what happened.
We need to be able to be in a situation where all the evidence is collected, all the witnesses are talked to, and that those folks can then present that evidence to a prosecutor that can make the determination if there should be charges and can that case be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law? Not in public opinion, in a courtroom. That's where justice is.
BURNETT: All right. Well, First Commissioner, I very much appreciate your time and your perspective and your -- your calm, which is so desperately needed when we see what is happening, of course, in Minneapolis and now with this shooting of two people in an immigration stop in Portland, Oregon, that we are covering right now.
My panel is back with me.
David Axelrod, it is a fraught moment. It is a fraught and terrifying moment. And as were getting new details about what just happened in Portland, with another vehicle involved shooting in a -- in an immigration action, as I said, it is probably not shocking to anybody watching, but nonetheless, very scary.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: It is. And I have to say, Erin, I -- I am having flashbacks because there was two months of this in Chicago where I live. They called it Operation Midway Blitz, and we actually had a shooting incident just like this in September, where a guy drove off and, he was shot. They claimed that an officer was being dragged and was in serious condition in the hospital.
Video surfaced that showed he was the officer was walking around after the shooting and told everyone that he was fine. So, this is not a new scenario. This is a pattern of behavior. And what Joey said earlier, I think is so important. If your policy is to exonerate your officers pro forma at the beginning of these episodes, the message that's being sent is anything goes, anything goes.
So, the fact that they didn't act in that instance leads to this, and it will lead to other things.
And it's, let me just say one other thing. Vice President Vance -- you know, Susie Wiles said in "The Vanity Fair" interview that he's been a conspiracy -- a conspiracy theorist for a decade, and he was spinning conspiracy theories.
[19:40:00]
What about some -- you know, deference to this poor woman who got killed to her children? And there's absolutely no evidence to support this notion that she was a radicalized domestic terrorist. The reality here is that the way these guys are conducting themselves is terrorizing communities, and that's why you get the reaction that you get.
BURNETT: By the way, if she was an activist who was alerting people to ICE being there, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. That doesn't justify you're allowed to do that. So, for people to say that if that actually ends up being the case, which we don't know if it is, that that's actually relevant in the outcome here, that is just not accurate.
We are learning new details about Renee Nicole Good, the mother of three. David just referred to her as a mother of three. She is a mother of three. She's a United States citizen.
President Trump calling her a professional agitator. The vice president, as David just referenced, referred to her as a deranged leftist.
So, what do we actually know about her at this time?
Brian Todd has that OUTFRONT tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Renee Nicole Good's father said his 37-year-old daughter was a wonderful person, telling "The Washington Post", quote, she had a good life, but a hard life.
One of Good's college professors recalled his conversations with her about dealing with those challenges. KENT WASCOM, TAUGHT RENEE NICOLE GOOD AT OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY: She
was pregnant and working and balancing both of that with getting an education. So, we had to work together to be able to make class attendance and assignments accessible and possible for someone who's carrying a child.
TODD (voice-over): Renee Good was a mother of three, according to the "Associated Press", with a 15-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son from her first marriage, and a six-year-old son from her second marriage. Her father said she spent most of her life in Colorado and briefly moved to Kansas to live with her parents after one of her husbands, a military veteran, died about three years ago.
While President Trump has called Good a professional agitator, Good's college professor told us he saw no signs of political activism with her and Good's mother, referring to protests against ICE agents told "The Minnesota Star Tribune" her daughter was, quote, not part of anything like that at all.
Good graduated from Old Dominion University in 2020 with a degree in English, and during her time there won a prize for her poetry. Her professor says her work in his class was unique.
WASCOM: She wrote outside of her circumstances. A lot of times, young writers write about themselves, right? You write what you know.
Renee wanted to write about other people. She wrote about elderly people and about people from other places, and in circumstances that were unlike her own.
TODD (voice-over): Good's ex-husband, who asked not to be named, told "The Associated Press" she was a devoted Christian who took part in youth mission trips to Northern Ireland and loved to sing.
On an Instagram account appearing to belong to Good, she said she was, quote, "experiencing Minneapolis" and posted a pride flag emoji.
CNN spoke to one of her Minneapolis neighbors.
KIMMY HULL, NEIGHBOR OF RENEE NICOLE GOOD IN MINNEAPOLIS: She was a very welcomed member of the community. Somebody is always going to be a daughter, a son, a mother, a brother, a sister, a child, a grandchild, you know? I mean, each and every one of us here, were one of those to somebody else, you know? It matters
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (on camera): Renee Good's ex-husband told "The Associated Press" she had just dropped her six-year-old son off at school on Wednesday, and was driving home with her current partner when they encountered the ICE agents. The child's grandfather told "The Star Tribune" that there is no one else in the child's life -- Erin.
BURNETT: Brian Todd, thank you very much.
And we've got more breaking news as protests are spreading. Let's just show you what's happening around the country now. These images are not Minneapolis. They are Boston and Cincinnati. These are new demonstrations coming as we're learning more about the officer involved, including his identity.
And this information is new. We're just bringing this to you. We have the special report on that officer. Who was he? What do we know about him? Let's go to Randi Kaye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was not the first time the officer who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis was involved in an incident.
VANCE: She was trying to ram this guy with his -- with her car. He shot back. He defended himself. He's already been seriously wounded in law enforcement operations before.
KAYE (voice-over): Last summer, the same officer was dragged more than 50 yards after getting his arm trapped in a vehicle during an arrest, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told CNN. The officer in the June case is identified in court documents as Jonathan Ross, a senior DHS official confirmed that case involved the same officer who fired the shots that killed Good this week.
According to court records, in June 2025, Officer Ross had punched through a window to open the car after the driver refused to lower his window or open his car door. Authorities say that driver was a convicted child sex offender and was in the country illegally.
VANCE: That very officer nearly had his life ended, dragged by a car six months ago, 33 stitches in his leg.
[19:45:02]
So, you think maybe he's a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile?
KAYE (voice-over): As Officer Ross reached over the broken glass to unlock the car, the driver, Roberto Munoz Guatemala, started accelerating and dragging the officer, who then shot the driver with his taser. The taser triggered at least twice, delivering a five second electric charge to Munoz both times, according to the indictment, which also describes how Munoz kept driving as the officer screamed.
Officer Ross eventually broke free of the car and fell to the road, but only after being dragged approximately 100 yards, the indictment says. Images from court filings show Officer Ross in a hospital bed with more than two dozen stitches on different cuts on his body.
The suspect from last summer was later arrested. Just last month, a jury convicted the driver of using a deadly weapon to inflict injury to an officer.
Officer Ross has 10 years of experience with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a senior homeland security official told CNN. That same official told CNN the officer was part of the special response team of the branch of ICE that deals specifically with arrests and deportation of undocumented immigrants.
KRISTI NOEM, DHS SECRETARY: He's an experienced officer that has served.
KAYE (voice-over): According to the Department of Homeland Security. The officer has had ongoing training in several specialized skills, including perimeter control, advanced firearms training and hostage rescue. He's also maintained an expert marksman qualification on all issued firearms.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (on camera): And, Erin, today, at a news conference in New York City, Kristi Noem said that the officer after yesterday's shooting was taken to the hospital where he received treatment and he has been at home ever since, resting with his family. She also said today that she is not opposed to sending more ICE officers to Minnesota to, quote, keep the people safe.
Now, we know, certainly, that the mayor of Minneapolis wants ICE out of his city now -- Erin.
BURNETT: Randi Kaye, thank you very much and so much new information there.
Joey Jackson, let me ask you if to just to boil this down, this Officer Jonathan Ross, given what happened to him last summer, okay, being dragged up more than 50 yards in a car incident, does that in any way explain or justify what appears to have happened here with shooting into that car?
JACKSON: Okay. Context is always important. Perspective always matters. Once bitten, twice shy, we get all of that.
BURNETT: Yeah.
JACKSON: You're informed by your past experiences.
I think it cuts both ways. On the one hand, you could say he was abnormally -- I won't say abnormally, but certainly susceptible to reacting quickly because of that past experience. On the other hand, you can argue that it would have made him get out of the way of the car, as the guidance suggests that you must do so.
BURNETT: Right.
JACKSON: So I think it cuts in both of those ways here.
BURNETT: Yeah, which is crucial, because it could, even if you are more likely or ready to pull that trigger, that you would get out which clearly, let's just say it again, that's what the policy is.
John Miller, as we're learning more about him and we don't know anything about the officers involved in the Portland case here, but more information is coming in. Man and woman, apparently husband and wife shot in a car. It started in one place, ended in another. This is in Portland, Oregon. Just happening. You're learning more.
MILLER: Right. And I'm flagging again. All of this information is preliminary because this is still developing. So it's possible that some of these details will change.
BURNETT: Yeah.
MILLER: But what we're told is that Border Patrol agents, part of a special operations group that was targeting serious criminals, attempted to do a car stop on a red Toyota that was carrying who they suspect was a Tren de Aragua gang member. In the car stop, the car moved forward and struck one of the agents. Shots were fired. The car fled the scene.
The shots that were fired -- I think a number of these shots hit the car. The agent who was struck was taken to a hospital to be checked. At another hospital later, they located their two suspects, the male and the female, a 33-year-old man, a 32-year-old female. He was shot in the arm. She was shot in the chest. Still don't know the condition.
BURNETT: But they brought themselves to the hospital.
MILLER: As they --
BURNETT: So they continued to flee.
MILLER: Right. They fled and self-transported to the hospital with these gunshot wounds. And the investigation is now in the hands of the FBI. As far as the --
BURNETT: So, we don't know if they're illegal or not, but we know that, that they're saying they were suspected of being not just illegal, but being at least one of them. I'm assuming the man, a member of the Tren de Aragua.
MILLER: Right. But I mean, the fact that Border Patrol was on a specific operation, it appears to arrest one or both of them, certainly suggests that they would have been here illegally as a target.
BURNETT: Joey, obviously, the circumstances preliminary that they may be obviously are very different here. But one thing that is the same, and that is the same in so many other cases that we don't hear about every day, is that they are doing stops of people and vehicles.
[19:50:05]
JACKSON: Listen, it's okay to stop a person in a vehicle. The issue is how that escalates. And we know that law enforcement is trained to deescalate. That's number one.
Number two, we know that the guidance suggests that you do not step in front of the car, right, or otherwise, that you shoot into the car while it's fleeing. You don't do that. And so why are we doing that? And obviously, we want law enforcement to be safe. Yes, let's be clear.
BURNETT: Yeah.
JACKSON: And there could be immediacy of a danger. And cars can be used as dangerous weapons.
But there's a reason for the guidance with respect to shooting into cars that are leaving. There's a reason for guidance with regard to how you interact with the public. And we don't know the nature of the training of these people.
Clearly, there's an issue. And that issue is leading to a lot.
BURNETT: We don't know enough about them. Obviously, you can do a license plate or something. You can get them later. You're supposed to do that. You're never supposed to -- we don't know the situation in Portland.
MILLER: Well, they know enough about his identity, theoretically, to track him down to make that car stop in the first place.
BURNETT: Right, right.
MILLER: To continue that.
BURNETT: Yeah.
All right, everyone, stay with us as we're getting more information on the Portland shooting and crowds gathering in Minneapolis. Now, we also showed you images in Boston, as well as in Ohio of people gathering. We're continuing to follow these breaking stories.
Right now, the latest on two people shot in Portland, Oregon, by federal agents, protesters taking to the streets in multiple cities around the country tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:55:21]
BURNETT: We are continuing to following -- to continuing to follow, I'm sorry, the breaking news in Minneapolis. You see the images on your screen. Just moments ago, large crowds growing, protests growing after a woman was fatally shot by an ICE officer. And we also have the breaking details out of Portland. Customs and Border Protection agents shot a husband and wife during a car stop.
Our John Miller is reporting that this was a special operations unit of Customs and Border Protection and that they, they say they were going after suspected gang member. We have new information coming on that sort of moment by moment. We are monitoring it.
I want to bring in Republican Congressman Don Bacon.
And, Congressman, I'm grateful for your time tonight.
REP. DON BACON (R-NE): Thank you.
BURNETTT: How concerned are you? You know, we're looking at the protests in Minneapolis. You have this developing story out of Portland. Youve now got protests in Cincinnati, protests in Boston.
How concerned are you about this moment?
BACON: Well, I'm concerned. I hate to see anybody get shot, even if -- even if they're not doing the right things. You hate to see people killed like the lady was yesterday. I hope the couple recovers fast. You know, they were shot today.
I know our law enforcement. They have a tough job, and there's a lot of debate about what the policy should be with people who've been here illegally for a while. I know most Americans want the violent people arrested or sent back to their home country.
There's a lot of debate internally, though. What do you do with those who have been here for a while and they're working and otherwise a good neighbors, and I think many Americans think we should probably -- they've gone too far.
But that's not the ICE's problem or Border Patrol. They're doing what the president and their team are ordering. But there is a policy debate, and I think it's a necessary debate that we should have.
BURNETT: And I think that's obviously sane and reasonable and thoughtful. But nonetheless, we have -- we have tensions rising. And you have, in the case of Minneapolis, an immediate rush to judge and to blame. Vice President Vance specifically said that the victims, a deranged leftist who tried to run the ICE agent over. That's what he said today, Congressman Bacon.
Now, you know, obviously, you know that we have heard similar things out of other officials, whether it be the president or the secretary of homeland security. But look, we all have seen the videos. I mean, Emily Heller, an eyewitness yesterday, she was steps away. Her version is very different.
A woman I just spoke to a moment ago, she was on the front looking head on it. Her version is very different. She was four feet away.
Look, what do you make of the different versions here? And I guess let me just put the question to you very bluntly. Do you think it's okay that Trump and his team are rushing to judgment and say what's happening when there's been no investigation.
BACON: You know, I've been a commander five times in the Air Force. Your inclination is to try to support law enforcement. I tried to -- I've had to deal with that as a commander of two different bases.
However, in the end, you got to get the facts, and we need to do the right investigation. And I -- to your point, I was at a dinner last night with a bunch of people from the House of Representatives and senators and one party saw what happened in Minneapolis, clearly, as the lady was doing nothing wrong. And then you got the other half of the party was clearly, she was wrong. So, it's interesting to -- sense of people see the same videos and disagree.
And I -- one of the things that sticks out at me, I've seen different vantage points of this video. One vantage point, it looks like the cop was going to get hit. But the other two, it does not look like it. So, I think it's -- I think it's better to just to let the authorities investigate and get both sides of this and let's see what the results are.
But I think the different videos showed -- show different things depending on the angle that you're at.
BURNETT: And I guess just to state the obvious then, you're supportive of a full and fulsome investigation into what happened.
BACON: Yes. I think that in all these situations, yes, we should have a fulsome investigation. I saw the video where the cop looked like he was going to get hit. But let's have neutral, good people look at this and come up with a report, and we ought to do it right.
And in any shooting involving law enforcement, there should be an investigation to make sure that everything was done right. And we want to -- we want to ensure that we're doing this right. And we also want to be fair to the cop. So, it's --
BURNETT: Yeah. Well, I think -- I think everyone should want should want the truth. Of course, the problem is there is so very, very little trust right now in this country.
BACON: Yeah.
BURNETT: Congressman Bacon, I appreciate your time and thank you very much.
BACON: Thank you.
BURNETT: All right. Earlier when we said President Trump called the woman killed in Minneapolis a professional agitator, I want to just be clear. He was referring to what he called a woman screaming at the scene. The president has said that Renee Nicole Good, quote, behaved horribly, violently, willfully and viciously ran over the ICE officer.
Thanks so much for joining us. "AC360" starts now.
