The ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday is the same officer who was dragged and injured during an arrest attempt last year.
Court documents reviewed by Newsweek identify the agent as Jonathan Ross. He was involved in the June 17, 2025, apprehension of Roberto Carlos Munoz, a convicted sex offender originally from Guatemala, in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Why It Matters
Good, a mother of three who was driving about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020, was fatally shot Wednesday in her Honda Pilot after being approached by a group of federal agents working in south Minneapolis. Video shows an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer then abruptly pulling his weapon and firing at least two shots at close range as the Pilot accelerated forward despite repeated commands to stop.
Video does not clearly show whether the SUV struck the officer, and it’s unclear if the woman had prior contact with ICE agents. After the shooting, the vehicle slammed into two parked cars before coming to a stop.
What To Know
During the June 2025 operation, Ross got his arm stuck in the window of a vehicle as the driver tried to flee an immigration arrest. He was dragged roughly 100 yards down the street before breaking free. Prosecutors said Ross fired his Taser during the struggle, striking the driver, but the shock failed to stop the vehicle. Ross was taken to a hospital with a “significant cut” to his right arm that required 20 stitches and another wound on his left hand that needed 13 stitches.
The driver later claimed he did not know Ross was a federal agent. A jury rejected that argument last month, convicting him of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors said the suspect accelerated after Ross broke a back window to unlock the door, dragging the agent for more than 100 yards while weaving to shake him loose. Ross eventually broke free but suffered severe injuries to his arms and hands.
A message seeking comment from Eric Newmark, a public defender who represented Munoz, was not immediately returned to Newsweek Thursday.
Vice President JD Vance defended Ross on Thursday, saying the officer “deserves a debt of gratitude” for his service. “This is a guy who’s actually done a very, very important job for the United States of America,” Vance said. “He’s been assaulted. He’s been attacked. He’s been injured because of it.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has repeatedly insisted the vehicle struck the officer, who was taken to a hospital for treatment, she said. Noem said Thursday that the officer was “spending time with his family.”
State and local officials, along with protesters, disputed any claims of “self defense.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said video of the shooting shows the self-defense argument was “garbage.”
Noem also referenced the June incident at a press conference on Thursday, saying Ross had been “dragged” by a vehicle while trying to apprehend a suspect. According to court records, Ross’s injuries included multiple large cuts and abrasions to his knee, elbow and face. An FBI agent applied a tourniquet before Ross was transported to a hospital.
Without identifying Ross, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the officer had more than a decade of experience as a deportation officer and was part of ICE’s special response team, which requires a 30-hour tryout and additional training.
Ross previously deployed to Iraq, where he earned several service medals, Newsweek has confirmed.
Jonathan Ross, 43, served in the Indiana Army National Guard from 2002 to 2008. During that span, he deployed to Iraq from November 2004 to November 2005 with Headquarters Company, 138th Signal Battalion.
What Officials Are Saying
Vance said Thursday, “This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people.” He accused journalists of falsely portraying Good as “innocent” and said: “You should be ashamed of yourselves. Every single one of you.”
“The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace. And it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day.”
Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz said Thursday, “People in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem — have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X, “The law does not require police to gamble with their lives in the face of a serious threat of harm. Rather, they may use deadly force when they face an immediate threat of significant physical harm.”
He said that the investigation would follow “standard protocols” and “ensure that evidence is collected and preserved.”
What Happens Next
A day after the shooting, tensions remained high. Dozens of protesters gathered outside a federal facility that has become a hub for the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, venting outrage over the shooting. The Minneapolis incident has also sparked protests in several other U.S. cities.
Drew Evans, head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Thursday that federal authorities have blocked the state from accessing evidence in the case, preventing it from investigating the shooting alongside the FBI.
Gov. Tim Walz urged that state investigators be included, warning that residents may not trust federal findings after top officials, including the president and vice president, publicly weighed in.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem disputed that Minnesota was being excluded, saying the state has no jurisdiction in the matter.
