The simple question that Army lawyer Joseph Welch posed to Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1954 — “Have you no sense of decency?” — helped end a witch hunt that was tearing the country in two.

The question seems almost quaint now, given the vitriol that routinely infects US politics. And yet, in the aftermath of the killing of a Minneapolis woman, Renee Nicole Good, by a federal agent, it’s unfortunately relevant again.

The death of Good, a 37-year-old American mother of three, has touched off a familiar debate over police shootings, except this time the gun was fired by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

Videos taken at the scene, which clearly show the agent firing into the vehicle while it was in motion, have been much debated. People can argue over whether the shooting represented a reasonable use of force and which party was more at fault. Further, they can question whether ICE agents are sufficiently trained, especially in de-escalation tactics. This is hardly the first instance where their judgment has been called into question, including when it comes to using deadly force.

But surely for both sides, and especially for federal officials, the decent response to Good’s death would’ve been to speak of it respectfully as an avoidable tragedy, support a full and fair investigation, and learn from its findings how to avoid more such killings. To do otherwise is to increase the chances that peaceful protests turn violent and more injuries and deaths ensue. But in the days after the shooting, the administration repeatedly misrepresented what happened, and it has since failed to correct the record.

The administration has falsely claimed that Good “ran over” the agent with her vehicle. Vice President JD Vance moderated that accusation only slightly, saying she was “trying to ram this guy with her car.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem implausibly described Good’s actions in blocking the street and then attempting to drive away as “domestic terrorism.”

Such attacks from high government officials, against a dead US citizen, while the facts are still out, are reprehensible. Meanwhile, the administration’s decision to freeze out state investigators and have the Federal Bureau of Investigation take control of the case (the FBI director reports to Noem) could further erode public confidence in the investigation and needlessly inflame tensions.

The right response should be obvious. Members of both parties should stand together to mourn this tragedy and demand an impartial investigation. Anything less would be not just indecent but unjust.

____

The Editorial Board publishes the views of the editors across a range of national and global affairs.

©2026 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com/opinion. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.