Two Tons Versus Two Hundred Pounds
Renee and Rebecca Good did everything they could to incite a confrontation, to the point that the officer would have been unreasonable not to respond as he did.
Ted Noel | January 12, 2026
Politically, we have a firestorm brewing. In Minneapolis, an ICE agent shot and killed a protester. In Portland, ICE shot two more, this time in a felony traffic stop. As I write this, Law Dork reports protests in DC demanding “STOP ICE TERROR NOW.”
On the opposite side, we have DHS Secretary Noem calling the actions of the protesters in Minneapolis “domestic terrorism,” and VP Vance clearly outlining the facts indicating that the shooting was, in police parlance, “a good shoot” in self-defense. The cherry on top of this fecal sundae is Minnesota Governor Walz’s assignment of the Minnesota National Guard to “assist Minneapolis police.” One must wonder just what sort of “help” they’ll be ordered to provide after Minneapolis Mayor Frey shouted that ICE must “get the f*** out of Minneapolis!”
The single legal question that must be asked is simple. “Does this shoot qualify as self-defense?” Full Stop. If it’s self-defense, then no further legal action can proceed against Officer Ross. Further, if it’s self-defense, qualified immunity will bar civil actions against him as well. There is no better authority on the Law of Self-Defense in the US than Andrew Branca. He outlines the five elements necessary for a civilian to sustain a claim of self-defense.
1. Innocence. The person using deadly defensive force must not be in the wrong as the instigator.
2. Imminence. The threat of great bodily injury or death must be “right now” or so close as to make no difference.
3. Proportionality. The use of deadly defensive force must be in response to a similar threat, not to a trivial insult.
4. Avoidance. Where practical, if the defender can get out of the way of the major threat, deadly force is generally not permissible.
5. Reasonableness. What would a rational, reasonable person do in the same situation?
Note that these all apply to civilians. The police have special dispensations due to their status and duties.
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https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/01/two_tons_versus_two_hundred_pounds.html