MINNEAPOLIS – In the wake of a tragic incident in Minneapolis, where an immigration officer fatally shot a woman, insights from a former Secret Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shed light on the rapid decision-making process such situations demand.

Timothy Miller, who also boasts a background as a police officer, discussed with Fox News Digital the rigorous training agents undergo to handle scenarios that may require the use of deadly force. According to Miller, these decisions hinge on immediate facts and necessitate the application of “appropriate deadly force.”

He illustrated the gravity of such situations by describing a scenario: “Imagine an agent standing mere inches from a car’s front bumper when suddenly, the vehicle accelerates. In such a moment, the car becomes a more lethal threat than a firearm. While there’s a chance of surviving a gunshot, being struck by a car could be fatal,” Miller explained.

Miller emphasized the critical nature of these split-second judgments, stating, “While others have months to analyze these incidents, officers are compelled to make life-altering decisions in the blink of an eye.”

This commentary provides a perspective on why the officer in Minneapolis was forced to act swiftly as the vehicle advanced toward him, highlighting the intense pressures faced by law enforcement in life-threatening situations.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the woman who was killed, later identified as Renee Nicole Good, as a “domestic terrorist” and alleged that Good “proceeded to weaponize her vehicle” after blocking ICE agents in the road. 

A video of the incident shows an agent approaching her car door and ordering her to exit the vehicle. Noem said that Good then attempted to run over an officer before the agent fired multiple shots into the vehicle, ultimately killing the 37-year-old.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told ICE to “get the f— out of Minneapolis.” (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

The video ignited controversy among elected officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who told ICE to “get the f— out of Minneapolis.”

“We do not want you here,” Frey said at a news conference following the shooting. “Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt, families are being ripped apart.”

Tim Walz was also critical of the situation, posting to X that “I’ve seen the video” and saying “don’t believe this propaganda machine” in reference to a post from DHS describing the situation. 

Protesters rally on Portland Street in Minneapolis, Minn., following federal agents fatally shooting a woman on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.  (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

Miller told Fox News Digital that the “agent had split seconds to decide whether maybe he’s going to live or die, and he reverted to his training and that’s what agents and officers are trained to do with a vehicle that’s driving towards you and potentially a deadly threat.”

The former Secret Service agent went on to emphasize the precedent set by the Supreme Court ruling in Graham v. Connor, which ties the definition of the use of excessive force by law enforcement to that of the Fourth Amendment and a standard of “objective reasonableness.”

The highest court ruled in the 1989 case that officers should be judged by their decision-making in the brief moments or seconds of an incident, not by how an officer’s reaction may seem in hindsight.

A person is detained as federal agents and police clash with protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minn., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.  (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

The fatal shooting of Good has spurred agitators to take to the streets in Minneapolis, as well as other major cities across the country. 

“The rhetoric against police officers, it’s not just ICE, it’s all police officers across the country, is escalating, the public’s being told lies, as you saw come out of the press conference, that, oh, I saw the video, there was absolutely no threat,” Miller explained. “That’s insane.”

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston