The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday has been identified as Jonathan Ross, two sources familiar with the investigation told MS NOW.
Ross was assigned to the Enforcement and Removal Operations special response team — known as ERO SRT — and has more than 10 years years of experience as a deportation officer. The two sources, including a former law enforcement official, requested anonymity to share sensitive information about the ongoing investigation.
Ross hasn’t been charged with a crime. Reached for comment, a DHS official declined to confirm Ross’ identity, and suggested that publishing officers’ names “puts their lives … at serious risk.”
“We are not going to expose the name of this officer. He acted according to his training,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told MS NOW. “This officer is a longtime ICE officer who has been serving his country his entire life.”
McLaughlin added that the ERO SRT team the officer is part of requires 30 hours of tryouts just to be considered, ongoing training in specialized skills and “maintaining an expert marksman qualification on all issued firearms.”
In June, Ross was injured trying to arrest an undocumented Guatemalan citizen, court records show. According to documents in that case, Ross pulled his vehicle in front of the suspect’s car after the man allegedly fled from federal officers. Ross broke the car’s window, tased the Guatemalan citizen and was dragged for more than 100 yards as the car sped away, according to the records.
Federal officials have not publicly identified Ross as the officer involved in Wednesday’s shooting, but they have referred to the officer’s involvement in the earlier case. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday that the officer involved in the shooting “had previously been dragged by an anti-ICE rider who had rammed him with a car and drug him back in June.” On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance told reporters that the officer “nearly had his life ended [when he was] dragged by a car six months ago, [and received] 33 stitches in his leg.”
“So you think maybe he’s a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile,” Vance continued.
Noem told reporters Thursday morning that the officer involved in the shooting “was hit by the vehicle and went to the hospital and received treatment, was released, and is spending time with his family now.” Video from eyewitnesses captured at the scene shows Ross walking around after firing at the car.
Noem’s and Vance’s descriptions of Ross’ earlier incident inspired social media users to look up the case, and many of them posted about it Thursday. His name was first reported by The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Noem and Vance both defended the officer’s actions on Thursday.
“This is an experienced officer who followed his training,” Noem said.
“She was trying to ram this guy with their car. He shot back. He defended himself,” Vance said. “He’s already been seriously wounded in law enforcement operations before.”
The FBI has taken over the investigation and cut off state investigators’ access to evidence in the case. Officials haven’t yet released details of their investigation, including whether Ross followed protocol in the shooting.
