President Donald Trump recently appeared to soften his tone while addressing the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good as he revealed whether he would pardon federal agent Jonathan Ross if was charged and convicted in her killing. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was gunned down by Ross in Minneapolis, a shooting that the Trump administration claimed was carried out in self-defense as she allegedly struck him with her vehicle.
During a recent interview with Reuters in the Oval Office, Trump called the shooting “unfortunate.” This was a more moderate response compared to the US President’s previous remarks, in which he claimed that Good “viciously ran over the ICE Officer” and said she was “disorderly, obstructing and resisting” when the incident took place.
When asked if he believed the ICE officer did the right thing, the US President replied, “I don't get into right or wrong. I know that it was a tough situation to be in. There was very little respect shown to the police, in this case, the ICE officers."
"It's so sad to see on both sides," Trump asked.
Read More | Minneapolis ICE shooting: Trump claims Renee Nicole Good ‘viciously ran over’ officer, blames ‘radical left’
On being asked if he would pardon Ross if he was charged and convicted in the shooting, Trump said he would wait and observe how the process played out. "I think that we're gonna have to see what happens. That was a very unfortunate incident. We're just going to see what happens," he stated.
Can the Minnesota prosecutor's office bring 'criminal charges' against Jonathan Ross?
{{/usCountry}}On being asked if he would pardon Ross if he was charged and convicted in the shooting, Trump said he would wait and observe how the process played out. "I think that we're gonna have to see what happens. That was a very unfortunate incident. We're just going to see what happens," he stated.
Can the Minnesota prosecutor's office bring 'criminal charges' against Jonathan Ross?
{{/usCountry}}After Good’s death, a local Minnesota County prosecutor's office has said that the state has the authority to bring criminal charges against the ICE agent who shot her. Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, said a decision on prosecuting the ICE agent will be made only after the investigation is over.
“We have jurisdiction to bring charges, as do the feds. It’s a little bit of a complicated interplay but the bottom line is yes, we have jurisdiction to bring criminal charges,” Borgertpoepping told the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Trump recently said in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil that he believes Good may have been a “wonderful person,” but her actions on the day of the shooting were “pretty tough.” “And I would bet you that she, under normal circumstances, was a very solid, wonderful person,” he said. “But her actions were pretty tough. I've seen it many ways and many different shapes and forms.”
In a message to Good’s father, who is reportedly a Trump supporter, the president said, “Well, I want to say to the father that I love all of our people. They can be on the other side, as you say, he might be on my side. And I think that's great.”