The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother killed during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis, has intensified scrutiny of the officer involved and the legal protections shielding federal agents from prosecution, as investigators examine whether the use of deadly force was justified.
The officer, Jonathan Ross, a veteran Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, fired three rounds through the window of a Honda Pilot last month, striking Good as she sat behind the wheel. The shooting has triggered protests, prompted an FBI investigation and reignited national debate over immigration enforcement tactics and the doctrine of "absolute immunity."
Vice President JD Vance defended the agent publicly, arguing that Ross was protected from prosecution for actions taken in the line of duty. Administration officials have repeatedly emphasized that federal officers are afforded broad legal protections when operating under official authority.
Ross, 43, has spent nearly two decades in law enforcement and military service, according to court records and sworn testimony. He served as a machine gunner with the Indiana National Guard during a deployment to Iraq in 2004 and 2005 before joining the U.S. Border Patrol in 2007 near El Paso, Texas. He later transitioned to ICE, where he was assigned to a fugitive operations unit in Minnesota.
In testimony, Ross described his ICE duties as developing "targets, creating a target package, conducting surveillance and then developing a plan to execute the arrest warrant." His résumé includes work as a firearms instructor, an active-shooter trainer and a member of a federal SWAT team, as well as service with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Ross as an "experienced officer" who "followed his training," a characterization administration officials have cited repeatedly in defense of his actions.
The case has drawn additional attention because Ross was seriously injured in a separate arrest operation roughly six months before the Minneapolis shooting. In June 2025, he was dragged approximately 100 yards by a fleeing suspect's vehicle during an attempted arrest in a Minneapolis suburb, suffering deep lacerations that required more than 30 stitches. During testimony, Ross described the injuries as "pretty excruciating pain."
An anonymous FBI agent told the Daily Mail that an officer's prior trauma can be relevant when evaluating subsequent use of force. "State of mind, that's part of a good investigation," the agent said. "You establish what their state of mind was. If they get nervous around cars." The source added that while the initial shot in the Good case "sort of can be argued," the "second and third shots cannot be argued."
Vance cited the earlier incident in defending Ross, saying, "You think maybe he's a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him?" The vice president framed that experience as context for heightened caution during later encounters.
Beyond his professional background, limited details about Ross's personal life have emerged. Public records indicate he is married, and his father described him as "a good man and a good husband," adding, "You would never find a nicer, kinder person."
Federal officials including President Donald Trump, Vance, Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller have closed ranks around Ross, asserting that "absolute immunity" applies. Minneapolis officials and civil-rights advocates have disputed that interpretation, pointing to video footage that has fueled questions about whether the shooting met the legal threshold for self-defense as the FBI investigation continues.
