An ex-FBI official on Friday reacted to alleged cell phone footage filmed by the federal immigration agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis.
″[I see] officers overreacting to what admittedly might be some sarcastic and lightly combative civilians. But I don’t see a situation that would require the application of deadly force,” Michael Feinberg told MS NOW’s Chris Jansing.
The alleged video — first shared by right-wing website Alpha News — appears to be from the angle of the shooter, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross.
The clip shows Good inside her vehicle as she tells Ross that she’s “not mad” at him. Good’s wife, Becca Good, is seen outside the vehicle and appears to be filming Ross.
“You want to come at us? I say go get yourself some lunch, big boy,” said Good’s wife in the video.
Moments later, Good drives away and the camera pans up as the agent shoots her. Someone is later heard in the clip saying, “Fucking bitch.”
Vice President JD Vance has since used the video to claim that the agent’s “life was endangered and he fired in self-defense,” a claim that falls in line with the Department of Homeland Security’s initial statement on the shooting.
Feinberg, a former assistant special agent in charge at the FBI, emphasized that law enforcement officers need to exhibit “emotional maturity” as well as “an ability to keep your cool” on the job.
“Getting heckled, getting videotaped. Anything related to those two activities. That’s part of the job,” he said.
“Somebody filming you on a cell phone and giving you sass is not a threat to your life. It’s not even a threat to your safety. It’s a minor annoyance at best.”
Feinberg questioned “why on Earth” the agent would be filming the interaction with his cell phone. He also called out both Vance and President Donald Trump for commenting on the shooting prior to an investigation.
He referred to the “fucking bitch” remark heard in the clip as the “height of unprofessionalism,” attributing the comment to one of the agents at the scene.
Feinberg noted that Ross had “a lot of equipment to protect himself” and would want to keep his hands free of a cell phone if he feared for his life or thought he was in danger.
“This is like, I’m sorry, but that excuse is asinine,” he said.
