By Keerthi Ramesh
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot a 37-year-old Minneapolis woman last week has been identified through court records as Jonathan E. Ross, a veteran ICE deportation officer with more than a decade of federal law enforcement experience. Ross was involved in a controversial operation on Jan. 7 that ended with the death of Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three.
Ross, whose name surfaced in public records tied to a previous arrest in Minnesota, has served on ICE’s Special Response Team, a tactical unit trained for high-risk operations. Court documents from a 2025 incident in Bloomington show Ross was seriously injured after being dragged by a suspect’s vehicle during an attempted arrest, according to reporting.
Federal authorities have not formally released Ross’s name, saying they will not expose the identity of law enforcement officers involved in high-profile investigations. But media outlets and court records have linked him to the Minneapolis shooting through prior case filings and incident descriptions consistent with federal disclosures.
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The deadly encounter occurred during a large immigration enforcement surge in south Minneapolis, where hundreds of ICE agents were deployed alongside other federal personnel to execute immigration warrants.
Authorities said Good’s vehicle moved toward officers, prompting an agent to fire, but bystander video and eyewitness accounts shared online have contradicted the federal version of events.
Minneapolis officials and protesters say video footage shows Good trying to pull away from agents when shots were fired into her SUV. The Minneapolis City Council condemned the shooting, calling for accountability and transparency.
Good’s death has sparked ongoing demonstrations in Minneapolis and beyond, with hundreds gathering at the site of the shooting and at federal buildings to protest what they consider excessive use of force and aggressive immigration tactics. Demonstrators blocked streets and held vigils near the Whipple Federal Building, drawing national attention and support from civil rights groups.
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Federal and local leaders remain sharply divided over the justification for using deadly force. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other administration officials have defended the ICE officer’s actions as necessary under the circumstances, describing the vehicle as a deadly weapon that threatened agents’ safety. But city leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have rejected that narrative, saying the video evidence raises serious questions about the federal account of the shooting.
The FBI has taken over the investigation, excluding state law enforcement from access to key evidence, further intensifying disputes over jurisdiction and transparency. Lawmakers from both parties have called for an independent review of the incident, with some pushing for clearer federal use-of-force standards during immigration operations.