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President Donald Trump said the footage of the fatal shooting of a woman by a Minneapolis U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was "horrible to watch" while once again defending the federal agent in an interview with the New York Times from the Oval Office.
“I want to see nobody get shot. I want to see nobody screaming and trying to run over policemen either," Trump said.
The president was then pressed on echoing the Department of Homeland Security's claim that the woman, later identified as Renee Nicole Good, tried to run over the agent before being fatally shot, which has been denounced by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and local government officials as "propaganda."
“She behaved horribly,” Trump said. “And then she ran him over. She didn’t try to run him over. She ran him over.”
“With all of it being said, no, I don’t like that happening,” he added before playing footage of the incident and pivoting to his criticism of illegal immigration.
What actually led to the fatal shooting remains unclear and an investigation is ongoing.
“It’s a terrible scene,” Trump said as the video concluded. “I think it’s horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it.”
Witnesses told KARE 11 that the woman was attempting to flee from ICE agents at the time of the fatal shooting, contradicting the Department of Homeland Security's claim. A burgundy SUV matching the one shown in the footage was seen with a bullet hole through the driver's side windshield and had smashed into a light pole at the scene.