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Charlotte protest calls for accountability after ICE shooting of U.S. citizen

People gather for a “No Kings” protest at First Ward Park after the killing of U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good.
Palmer Magri
/
WFAE
Protesters gather at First Ward Park in Charlotte on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, calling for ICE accountability after the killing of U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good.

Hundreds of people gathered at First Ward Park in uptown Charlotte Thursday evening to protest the killing on Wednesday of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

Protesters held signs reading “ICE out for good” and “end the war on immigrants." They said the shooting of Renee Nicole Good epitomizes broader concerns about the use of force by federal immigration authorities.

Federal officials say an ICE agent acted in self-defense, a claim protesters here disputed.

Asha Patel of PSL Charlotte, who helped organize the protest, said the incident reflects what she described as a broader pattern of enforcement.

“We are seeing through this that this current administration and ICE will unleash violence on anyone who takes a stand against this deportation machine and this crackdown,” Patel said.

Protesters said the incident has heightened fear and anger in immigrant communities across the country, including in Charlotte.

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Julian Berger is a Race & Equity Reporter at WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR affiliate. His reporting focuses on Charlotte's Latino community and immigration policy. He is an award-winning journalist who received the 2025 RTDNAC Award for an economic story examining how fears of immigration enforcement affected Latino-owned businesses in Charlotte.