CNN host Brianna Keilar and former DHS Secretary Chad Wolf on CNN on January 9, 2026 (Image: Screengrab via CNN / YouTube)
An interview between CNN host Brianna Keilar and former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf grew heated when the two went back-and-forth over the recent fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
During the Friday segment, Keilar repeatedly asked Wolf — who worked in Trump's first administration — if 37 year-old mother of three Renee Nicole Good deserved to be shot ignoring a law enforcement officer's commands or to evade arrest. Wolf insisted that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross was within his right to use deadly force against Good as he likely believed his life was "in danger" after Good's car started moving.
"This individual should havenever been in the middle of thestreet blocking a lawenforcement operation. Sheshould have adhered to thecommands of the law enforcementofficers. And obviously notbacked up her car and tried toevade arrest," Wolf said. "There's a varietyof things that should have beendone differently in this case."
Keilar then played a clip of former ICE deputy chief of staff John Amaya, saying it was official policy that agents "don't chase vehicles." Amaya also said it was widely understood that agency personnel "not shoot at vehicles to either stop them or slow them down unless ... there's imminent danger or threat and there is no reasonable alternative."
"Was stepping out of the wayof the vehicle a reasonablealternative in your view?" Keilar asked.
"I don'tthink that everything that wasjust articulated there iscorrect," he responded. "Youcan go after individuals if theytry to abscond in a vehicle sothat policy has beenchanged."
"Can you explain howthat's been changed?" Keilar pressed.
"Border patrol alongthe border gets into high speedchases all the time," Wolf explained. "All thetime. You know, drug runners andothers trying to—
"—We're in Minneapolis, in themiddle of a city," Keilar interjected. "Can you can you apply thatinto an urban environment?"
"Absolutely you can," Wolf said. "And again,I'm not there on the ground. SoI'm not going to try to secondguess what a law enforcementofficer is thinking. What'swhat is he hearing? What is hefeeling at the moment? ... Weweren't there. We don't knowwhat took place."
Keilar then pivoted to the topic of new video that emerged on Friday showing Good having a calm exchange with Ross moments before he shot her. The CNN host noted that Ross was no longer in danger by the time he fired the second and third shots into Good's vehicle, and confronted Wolf over whether those additional shots were legally justifiable.
"The car cannot obviouslymake contact with him at thatpoint," she said. "Is that DHS policy toshoot into a vehicle through aside window that can't makecontact with you, is thatpermissible?"
"I really don't know whatyou're describing there. I seethe vehicle hit him," Wolf said.
"Chad, you've seenthis picture," Keilar insisted. "I'm sure he'sshooting in his second or thirdshot. He is actually to the sideof the vehicle shooting in theside window. He's not in frontof the car. Is that permissible conduct for discharging afirearm for DHS, for ICE?"
"Well, I'm going to let ICEanswer that," he said. "If whatyou're asking me is, can theyonly shoot through a frontwindshield, you know, windshieldand not a side windshield?Again, it doesn't work likethat. The requirements arenot laid out there becausethere's a variety of things thatare happening in real time. Andso this idea that on video,we're going to try to Monday-morning-quarterback this thingbecause we've broken it downinto 27 different frames at thesame time. This all happenedprobably in 2 to 3 seconds. Andso again, lawful commands weregiven to an individual whoignored them. And decided to notonly back up her vehicle, butthen to lurch forward at anofficer. And he made a splitsecond decision to protecthimself."
Watch the full segment below: