Minnesota’s state investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been effectively shut down because the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department have refused to cooperate with local authorities. This is a truly awful development for anyone who wants accountability, because it means the state won’t have any say in determining if a crime was committed.
As reported by AP News, Governor Tim Walz immediately demanded that Minnesota be allowed to take part in the process, and it would be “very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation excluding the state could possibly be fair. Drew Evans, who heads the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, echoed that frustration. He stated they simply “cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands” without full access to evidence, witnesses, and collected information.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, however, has maintained that the state has absolutely no jurisdiction in this matter. This deadly encounter occurred on the second day of what the Trump administration is calling the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. The crackdown focused on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, involving more than 2,000 officers. Secretary Noem reported that the operation has already resulted in over 1,500 arrests.
If DHS gets its way, it will set a dangerous precedent for future
Federal officials, including President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary Noem, have repeatedly characterized the Minneapolis shooting as an act of self-defense. They’ve suggested that Ms. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her, essentially casting her as the villain. Vice President Vance suggested that the shooting was justified and that Ms. Good was a “victim of left-wing ideology.”
Local officials are having none of that narrative. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey flatly rejected the federal characterization, saying video recordings show the self-defense argument is “garbage.” The video evidence captured by several bystanders shows an officer approaching Ms. Good’s SUV, which was stopped in the middle of the road, demanding she open the door and grabbing the handle.
As the Honda Pilot began to pull forward, a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulled his weapon and immediately fired at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the car moved toward him. It isn’t clear from the recordings if the vehicle actually made contact with the officer. After the shooting, the SUV sped into two parked cars before finally crashing to a stop.
The federal agent involved has been identified in records as Jonathan Ross, an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE. Secretary Noem hasn’t publicly named him, but a Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed that her description of the officer’s injury last summer refers to an incident in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Court documents identify the officer in that case as Ross. During that previous event, Ross got his arm stuck in a window after a driver fled an immigration arrest. Ross was dragged and fired his Taser, and a jury later found the driver guilty of assaulting a federal officer.
Published: Jan 9, 2026 01:00 pm