A body-language expert has analysed the split decision made by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer when he fatally shot Renee Good.
Good, 37, was shot dead by ICE federal agent Jonathan Ross, while officers were 'doing an enforcement operation' in Minneapolis, US last week (7 January).
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents were called to the area to help remove a car from the snow, but protesters were 'preventing them from leaving the scene'.
In a video shared by the Department, Ross appeared to approach Good’s vehicle in the middle of the road, while Good’s wife was walking around the vehicle to approach the officer.
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Following a confrontation, Good tried to drive away when Ross fired multiple shots at her, striking her in the head.
Good’s SUV crashed nearby and she later died of her injuries.
In a recent video, forensic psychologist Dr. John Paul Garrison has evaluated the moments leading up to the shooting.
When Ross first approaches the vehicle, the expert said of Good's tone: “You can also hear the high register in her voice. We typically associate that with compliance.”
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Dr G noted that her posture was open, and she maintained steady eye contact, leading Ross to likely assume 'she is not going to be a problem for him'.
However, Dr G pointed out that Good had already prepared to flee in her mind if the worst were to happen.
He explained: “You can see that her backup lights are on. The white light right there, that's the backup light. You can also see that her brake light is on, which means that her foot is on the brake and the car is already in reverse.
“So, there already is a plan to back up and get out of there.”
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Meanwhile, Good’s wife behaved more aggressively, standing close to the agent and speaking confrontationally.
Dr G said this redirected Ross’s attention: “So, at this point, the ICE agent is likely thinking that Renee Good's wife is going to be the more challenging of the two.”
Describing Good's mental condition, he added: “She’s in a flight state right now. This shows how little awareness Renee Good may have had about what's going on around her at that time.
“That the adrenaline was so high that she was so amped up at this point that she didn't even notice that her wife was trying to get in the car.”
Dr G thinks that 'from the officer's perspective, the car was going directly at him', and as 'soon as she starts accelerating, I'm talking about within one frame, he's already drawn his gun'.
“This was not something that had any amount of real thought behind it,” he insisted.
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“You don't have time to think about what you're doing. Your body goes into an automatic mode.
“When something like that happens, that gets encoded in what's called your amygdala. The amygdala connects fear and memory.”
From his point of view, Dr G concluded that the situation was down to 'misunderstandings' and that neither had the intent.
Topics: Crime, Politics, US News, YouTube, Mental Health
Anish Vij