Hysteria abounds following fatal ICE shooting

January 12, 2026

Jody Langford

OPINION by JODY LANGFORD

A lot of factual details are being ignored amongst all the hysteria and gas lighting from the left. First, Renee Good was not innocent – she was fleeing arrest.

Of course we don’t shoot people fleeing unless they are an imminent and dangerous threat. Fleeing was not the reason for the shooting. Lies being propagated that an innocent woman was murdered are intended to inflame people and incite rioting.

Now, it is factually clear that Good turned her wheels and drove towards an officer. It is not relevant whether this was intentional or accidental or negligent. It is also not relevant if she actually struck or barely missed the officer.

The only thing relevant is whether this movement was enough for a reasonable person in the same circumstances as the officer (who was previously injured by another vehicular assault) to have felt imminent fear for their lives while dealing with an irrational and unpredictable criminal subject.

Again, we don’t shoot citizens for accidentally striking someone with a vehicle. But this wasn’t an innocent citizen, she was fleeing and evading. The last part changes everything.

Because she was in the midst of committing a crime, she purposefully and intentionally created a dynamic and dangerous situation. Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable for the officer to correctly (or incorrectly) believe she was intending to run him, and maybe others, over.

But beliefs don’t rely upon correctness. They rely upon reasonable judgements. And in the dynamic criminal chaos that Good purposefully created, it was reasonable to employ deadly force to protect against a deadly threat.

Did Good “deserve” it? “Deserves got nothing to do with it,” to quote William Munny, played by Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. Good was LARPing (live action role playing) and foolish.

She had been interfering with and harassing the ICE agents all day. Her criminal act of fleeing while guns were reasonably drawn was no one’s choice but hers. Good alone, is responsible for her own regrettable demise.

Predictably, the Tribune is attacking San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow over his support of the ICE agents and their actions in this incident, accusing him of “exploiting a national tragedy” and of “jumping to conclusions.” This is quite laughable as that is exactly what the Tribune and the left were doing while the situation was still fluid in Minnesota.

The Tribune has reached the point of ridiculousness in their relentless “bullying” and harassment of Dow.

His detractors think that apparently he gives up all personal rights by being an elected official…but the elected officials who further their cause can actually use their elected positions to incite rioting and violence. This is acceptable to the left.

Dow has always voiced his opinions as a citizen, not as district attorney. They also have done a pathetic job of pointing out any flaws in Dow’s posts. They just continuously attack him.

We are fortunate to have a man of such quality and character leading the district attorney’s office in this county.

Jody Langford is a retired California Highway Patrol officer who lives in San Luis Obispo County.