When shootings like those involving Renee Good and Alex Pretti occur, the reaction is immediate and unforgiving. Within seconds, judgment hardens. Two opposing narratives form, each fueled by politics, emotion, and incomplete information. These incidents did not occur in a vacuum. Both individuals placed themselves directly in harm’s way by feloniously obstructing federal ICE agents engaged in official duties. They were not present as passive or peaceful protesters. Each was killed during the commission of a violent felony. The central question is not whether force was used, but whether the force applied was necessary and legally justified under rapidly unfolding circumstances. Multiple videos exist of both encounters. None clearly establish what actually happened. The footage is fragmented, obscured, and inconclusive. As investigations continue, additional video may surface. Only careful, frame-by-frame analysis may eventually clarify the sequence of events. Use-of-force encounters...

History keeps meticulous records. Humans keep none. What is past is prologue, and once again, nobody bothered to read it. Cue the emotional detonation following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Predictably, grief was immediately repackaged, politicized, and sold at retail outrage prices before the law was even unpacked. Start with the part everyone skipped. The law. The primary federal statute governing interference with federal officers is 18 U.S.C. § 111, titled Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees. This statute applies broadly to federal law enforcement personnel defined under 18 U.S.C. § 1114, including ICE agents while performing official duties. Under 18 U.S.C. § 111(a), it is a crime to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with such officers while engaged in their duties. “Forcibly” does not require Hollywood theatrics. Courts have consistently held that physical resistance, threats creating reasonable fear, or...