Minneapolis is still reeling after the shocking death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE officer during a federal operation on January 7.
The agent responsible has now been identified as Jonathan E Ross, 43, according to media reports.
Federal authorities have so far declined to name the officer involved in the Minneapolis shooting incident, though the Minneapolis Star Tribune identified him as Jonathan Ross on Thursday.
The FBI also refused to let Minnesota law enforcement take part in the investigation into Good’s death, leading Governor Tim Walz to say, “It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome.”
Jonathan Ross is described as a seasoned ICE officer with over ten years on the force, who was previously injured after being dragged by a fleeing driver during an unrelated incident last year.
Beyond this, very little is publicly known about Ross’s personal life, the Star Tribune reports. Federal officials describe him only as “an experienced” officer, part of ICE’s Special Response Team, and an expert marksman.
His exact field office remains undisclosed.
“He acted according to his training,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, told the Minnesota Star Tribune, defending Ross. She emphasized that he had “been serving his country his entire life.”
McLaughlin also criticized media coverage of Ross, saying: “The Star Tribune should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for their reckless behavior, and they should delete their story immediately.”
Ross was embedded with a team of federal agents conducting a targeted crackdown in south Minneapolis when Good’s life was taken. A photo of his face circulated on social media as users attempted to identify the officer.
A history of close calls
Ross’s past encounters with danger have fueled some supporters’ defense of his actions. On June 17 of last year, Ross participated in the arrest of Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, a Mexican citizen with a prior conviction for sexual assault.
When Munoz-Guatemala sped off in his vehicle, Ross broke a window to unlock the door and was dragged roughly 300 feet along the street, sustaining deep cuts that required a total of 33 stitches.
Vice President J.D. Vance cited that incident while defending the officer on Thursday, saying Ross “deserves a debt of gratitude.”
Vance added: “This is a guy who’s actually done a very, very important job for the United States of America. He’s been assaulted. He’s been attacked. He’s been injured because of it.”
The Vice President also told reporters that the agent enjoys “absolute immunity” from any charges related to the shooting.
“He was doing his job,” Vance said.
“The idea that Tim Walz and a bunch of radicals are going to go after and make this guy’s life miserable because he was doing the job that he was asked to do is preposterous.”
The Minneapolis incident
On the morning of January 7, witnesses describe Good entering a red Honda Pilot in south Minneapolis. Federal agents attempted to surround the vehicle, with one officer on each side trying to gain access.
A third officer allegedly yanked on the driver’s side door, prompting Ross to open fire three times through the vehicle’s side window. Good was struck in the head. Video footage shows her vehicle clipping an agent but not forcefully enough to knock him down. The SUV then crashed into a parked car a short distance away.
Federal officials have claimed that Good had “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them,” labeling it “an act of domestic terrorism.” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also noted Ross’s previous incident with a fleeing vehicle, portraying him as a trained officer responding to a dangerous situation.
Yet video footage and witness accounts paint a conflicting picture. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the federal self-defense narrative “bullshit” during a press conference, stating: “They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets and in this case quite literally killing people.”
He urged ICE to leave the city, adding that federal enforcement was making the community “less safe.”
Public outrage
The shooting has sparked national outrage, with residents, activists, and elected officials demanding answers. Multiple videos of the incident have circulated online, showing the SUV moving away from, rather than directly toward, the agents. Social media users and experts have questioned whether deadly force was necessary in the situation.
Five use-of-force experts interviewed by the Star Tribune criticized Ross’s decision to shoot at a moving vehicle. While some acknowledged he may have feared for his safety, most noted that shooting at moving vehicles is widely discouraged due to the high risk to bystanders.
The incident has deeply impacted the neighborhood over the past few days.
A day following her death, neighbors had grown tired of speaking with the press. One home displayed a handwritten sign on the front door reading, “NO MEDIA INQUIRIES” and “JUSTICE FOR RENEE,” according to the Associated Press.
A devoted Christian
Renee Nicole Good was more than a headline. She was a poet, a mother of three, and a beloved member of her community. She had recently relocated to Minneapolis with her 6-year-old son and her wife, Becca Good, seeking a quiet life.
Friends and family remember her as “extremely compassionate” and “one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” according to her mother, Donna Ganger.
“She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate,” Ganger said. “She was probably terrified. She was an amazing human being.”
The Associated Press spoke with Renee’s ex-husband, who requested anonymity to protect their children. He said Good was not an activist and had never participated in any protests. According to him, she was simply on her way home when she encountered a group of ICE agents on a snowy street.
Good’s ex-husband described Renee as a devoted Christian who, in her youth, joined mission trips to Northern Ireland. He also shared that she had a passion for singing, performing in her high school chorus and later studying vocal performance in college.
New details about her life
Renee Nicole Good studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia, where she earned a prize in 2020 for one of her pieces, according to the school’s English department Facebook page. She also co-hosted a podcast with her second husband, who passed away in 2023.
Kent Wascom, her instructor in the creative writing program, remembered how she balanced having a newborn with school and work in 2019. He called her “incredibly caring of her peers.”
“What stood out to me in her prose was that, unlike a lot of young fiction writers, her focus was outward rather than inward,” Wascom said. “A creative writing workshop can be a gnarly place with a lot of egos and competition, but her presence was something that helped make that classroom a really supportive place.”
As debates continue over federal enforcement tactics, the city of Minneapolis remains in shock. The death of Renee Nicole Good is now a flashpoint in the ongoing national discussion about ICE operations, police use of force, and the balance between security and public safety.
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