I asked a former Law-Enforcement officer a few questions about the death of Renne Good, as well as the current tactics of ICE agents. He has asked to remain anonymous. My questions are in bold.

The death of Renee Good at the hands of an ICE agent has sparked a heated debate. As a committed Christian who has previously served in law enforcement, what was your reaction to the death of Renee Good?

It’s always a terrible thing when someone loses their life at the hands of law enforcement, not only for the deceased, but also for the officer. Taking a human life is a difficult thing, even if the shooting is perfectly justified.

Do you feel the three shots were justified?

The first shot may have been. Personally it is inconclusive to me, but I am about 60% no on shot #1. Shots 2 and 3 were unjustified.

When tragedies of this nature take place, what do you feel the Christian response should be?

This might be a rambling answer, but to be perfectly honest I feel a lot of personal conflict about this. It seems clear to me that this woman did not need to be shot. I cannot say that it is perfectly clear. There is enough confusion that even if it’s slight, a reasonable person could consider that to be justified shooting. Or perhaps they’d see it as a failure of policy, but not a failure of the officer himself.

It’s very clear from Scripture that murder is a violation of God’s law. It is not perfectly clear that the officer murdered Renee Good. It’s clear enough to me, but I can acknowledge that there is some doubt, or at least room for doubt. 

Compare this with, say, the murder of Charlie Kirk, which it is perfectly clear to me that he was murdered.

As a pastor, I find it is important that my publicly expressed views come from Scripture and are defensible from the Word of God. When ICE guns someone down in cold blood–which I’m pretty sure they will do soon–then I can publicly say that that is wrong because it is clearly murder. But in something that is fraught with questions, I find that it is best not to alienate people as a pastor, except for in things that are perfectly clear.

I feel somewhat restricted in this way, but I want to preserve a space for the gospel to be preached with purity and clarity. 

Plenty of citizens have become afraid of ICE (their tactics, their ruthlessness and immunity), and there’s a sense that they’re hoping that local officers will begin to stand up to ICE agents. Do you see anything like that happening in the near future?

I certainly do. Law enforcement has traditionally spent a lot of time on learning to de-escalate situations. It seems that ICE skipped that training in their, what,forty-seven days?

I’ve noticed for a long time that people have been referring to “police” and “civilians.” I correct them every chance I get. The police ARE civilians. They are a civilian safety organization. With the “Rise of the Warrior Cop,” made up of veterans of the twenty-year war in the Middle East, people seem to think they are no longer civilians.

ICE has really doubled down on this. Why are they carrying rifles? Local Law Enforcement requires a sidearm. Whey do they have all that tactical gear? Police need to protect their citizens from the brutality of the Government.

While the outcry of Trump’s ICE is great, it is also being stifled by many in the Church who believe ICE to be a force of good. We are told to ignore the countless videos of human rights violations and excessive force. We are told to look the other way as agents disrupt daycares, schools, and churches. Can you speak to those Christians who see what is happening as evil but feel paralyzed and at odds with other Christians?

I think the most important thing a Christian can do is respectfully share their perspective with their friends and brothers and sisters in the church. Don’t be antagonistic, but be natural and share what you are experiencing. 

Thank you for your time and insight.