Minneapolis woke up Thursday to a wave of shock and anger after federal officials and court records identified the ICE agent who fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during a federal enforcement action on January 7, 2026. The officer, Jonathan Ross, was confirmed as the shooter in a chaotic confrontation in a south Minneapolis residential neighborhood that left Good dead and the city’s political leaders demanding answers.
Good, a mother of three and widely remembered by her family as a compassionate, creative spirit, was in her vehicle on a snowy street when a group of federal officers approached. Bystander video shows agents moving toward her stopped red SUV before multiple shots were fired as she attempted to drive away. The vehicle crashed moments later, and Good was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Federal authorities say the encounter occurred as part of a large immigration operation in the Twin Cities, involving hundreds of ICE officers. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Good’s actions as an “act of domestic terrorism,” asserting she tried to use her car as a weapon against agents. But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other local leaders flatly rejected that characterization, calling the federal narrative misleading and insisting video evidence shows she was not trying to injure anyone.
Court documents and reporting from the Star Tribune reveal that Ross had previously been injured in June 2025 during an unrelated arrest attempt in Bloomington, Minnesota. In that earlier incident, he was dragged by a fleeing suspect’s vehicle and required numerous stitches for cuts to his arms and hands. Prosecutors later convicted the driver of assaulting a federal officer. Federal officials have referenced that past episode in defending Ross’s actions in Minneapolis.
The shooting has rippled through Minneapolis and beyond. Protests erupted in the city Thursday, with demonstrators accusing ICE of reckless use of force and calling for the agency’s withdrawal from local communities. Governor Tim Walz, outraged that state investigators were excluded from the probe by the FBI, has urged a more transparent examination of the incident.
Good’s family and friends painted a different picture of her life. Her mother described her daughter as loving, gentle, and devoted to her children — not someone involved in violent confrontation. Footage shared from the scene, including personal items scattered in the aftermath, underscored for many residents the tragedy of the loss.
The federal government, meanwhile, continues to defend its agents and practices. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have both backed Ross, framing the shooting as justified and pointing to previous threats faced by the agent. But local officials and civil rights advocates have criticized that stance, warning it deepens distrust between communities and law enforcement. As Minneapolis grapples with the fallout, questions about use of force, federal authority, and accountability are now at the center of a national conversation.
