The fatal shooting last week of Renee Nicole Good during a large-scale federal immigration enforcement operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in south Minneapolis continues to be highly politicized, with starkly contrasting accounts amplified through media coverage, social media, official statements, and dueling videos.
This has fueled intense debate about truth, propaganda, and narrative control. Federal/Trump administration account (via DHS, ICE, President Trump on Truth Social, Vice President JD Vance, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem): The agent (later identified as Jonathan Ross, a 10-year veteran who had been dragged by a vehicle in a prior 2025 incident) acted in self-defense. They described Good "weaponizing" her vehicle in an attempt to run over officers—an "act of domestic terrorism."
So, Ed likes to show this video and talk about "accountability". What he does not show you is the actual bodycam footage of the evidence from Agent Ross' perspective.
— Tom Finnell (@d2fl) January 9, 2026
Let's correct that now. Does this change your mind?@EdKrassen #Minneapolis https://t.co/FQnbYxH4QF pic.twitter.com/XeF7vN8B4X
A bodycam-style video from the agent's perspective (released later and shared by conservative outlets like Alpha News) was cited to support this, with Vance calling the shooting "a tragedy of her own making" and blaming "left-wing radicals," Democrats, and media for misreporting.
- Local/state officials and witnesses (including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Governor Tim Walz, Police Chief Brian O'Hara, and bystanders):
- They rejected the federal version as "propaganda," "garbage," or "bullshit," pointing to bystander videos showing no clear imminent threat from the vehicle before shots were fired.
- Walz urged people not to believe the "propaganda machine"
- Frey demanded ICE leave the city. They emphasized Good was a non-target resident "caring for neighbors" and that the death was preventable.
The media's role has been pivotal—and controversial—in this divide:
- Mainstream outlets (CNN, NYT, Guardian, NBC, AP, etc.) have highlighted the conflicting footage, local disputes of federal claims, protests/vigils, and calls for independent investigation. They've reported on Good's background (poet/writer/mom, recent transplant) and the broader context of Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota (linked to welfare fraud allegations in some communities).
- Conservative media and administration allies have accused mainstream coverage of bias, lies, or advancing a political narrative against law enforcement, while promoting the agent's video as definitive proof.
- Social media has spread rapid misinformation, including fabricated/AI-generated images purporting to show the agent's face (unmasked or with tattoos), misidentifying unrelated people (e.g., Minnesota Star Tribune publisher Steve Grove) as the shooter (leading to threats), and fake photos of the interaction.
Fact-checkers (BBC Verify, AP, NYT) have debunked many of these. This has sparked nationwide protests against ICE, school closures in Minneapolis due to safety concerns, and calls for accountability (including threats to defund or investigate DHS).
The FBI is investigating, but tensions remain high over access to evidence and narrative dominance.