More than two weeks after she was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death of Renee Good a homicide.
The office released the information on Jan. 22 in a form that was posted to its public data portal. The disclosure indicated she was shot multiple times, but offered no further details.
Homicide is defined as a death that occurs at the hands of another person and does not necessarily mean the person died from a criminal act.
When the office released the same form one week after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in 2020, it also included this explanation: “Manner of death classification is a statutory function of the medical examiner, as part of death certification for purposes of vital statistics and public health. Manner of death is not a legal determination of culpability or intent, and should not be used to usurp the judicial process. Such decisions are outside the scope of the medical examiner’s role or authority. Under Minnesota state law, the medical examiner is a neutral and independent office and is separate and distinct from any prosecutorial authority or law enforcement agency.”
The office included no such caveat for its release addressing Good’s death, which prompted protests across the Twin Cities.
Lawyers representing Good’s family released preliminary results of an independent autopsy Jan. 21 showing details consistent with a report from local first responders released last week.
