ICE Officer Who Killed Minnesota Woman Was War Veteran with Long History of Government Service Before Deadly Confrontation
A United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot a 37-year-old Minneapolis woman on a snowy street has been identified as Jonathan Ross, a veteran war hero with over a decade of government service under his belt.
Ross, a member of the Indiana National Guard, served in Iraq from November 2004 to November 2005 and was deployed as a machine gunner on a combat logistical patrol team. His military career earned him several awards, including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
Following his service in the military, Ross joined the U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas, in 2007 as a field intelligence agent, gathering information on drug cartels and human traffickers until 2015. He then became a deportation officer at ICE in Minnesota, identifying and arresting "higher value targets" according to his testimony in a recent case.
It appears that Ross was not part of the hiring surge under Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, which started in August. Despite numerous requests for comment, NBC News has been unable to reach out to him since the incident.
Court records show that an earlier incident involving Ross bears some similarities to the scenario where Renee Nicole Good died. In June, Ross broke a car window and found himself being dragged about 50 yards when the driver hit the gas. He testified in court that he feared for his life and used his Taser repeatedly at the driver.
Seven months later, Ross encountered Good on a Minneapolis street as part of his duties with ICE. Videos show that she attempted to drive away while confronting him, but her SUV was partially blocking traffic when federal vehicles arrived. One officer grabbed the door handle and reached inside the window, prompting Good to reverse and then move forward, turning her wheels to the side.
Ross drew his gun, shouting "whoa," before firing at the open driver's side window as the car accelerated away from him. A male voice on a video can be heard yelling profanities while another witness captured footage of the SUV crashing into a parked car about 140 feet down the street after Good suffered fatal head injuries.
The incident has sparked debate over whether Ross' actions during the confrontation were justified, particularly given his extensive military and government experience.
A United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot a 37-year-old Minneapolis woman on a snowy street has been identified as Jonathan Ross, a veteran war hero with over a decade of government service under his belt.
Ross, a member of the Indiana National Guard, served in Iraq from November 2004 to November 2005 and was deployed as a machine gunner on a combat logistical patrol team. His military career earned him several awards, including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
Following his service in the military, Ross joined the U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas, in 2007 as a field intelligence agent, gathering information on drug cartels and human traffickers until 2015. He then became a deportation officer at ICE in Minnesota, identifying and arresting "higher value targets" according to his testimony in a recent case.
It appears that Ross was not part of the hiring surge under Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, which started in August. Despite numerous requests for comment, NBC News has been unable to reach out to him since the incident.
Court records show that an earlier incident involving Ross bears some similarities to the scenario where Renee Nicole Good died. In June, Ross broke a car window and found himself being dragged about 50 yards when the driver hit the gas. He testified in court that he feared for his life and used his Taser repeatedly at the driver.
Seven months later, Ross encountered Good on a Minneapolis street as part of his duties with ICE. Videos show that she attempted to drive away while confronting him, but her SUV was partially blocking traffic when federal vehicles arrived. One officer grabbed the door handle and reached inside the window, prompting Good to reverse and then move forward, turning her wheels to the side.
Ross drew his gun, shouting "whoa," before firing at the open driver's side window as the car accelerated away from him. A male voice on a video can be heard yelling profanities while another witness captured footage of the SUV crashing into a parked car about 140 feet down the street after Good suffered fatal head injuries.
The incident has sparked debate over whether Ross' actions during the confrontation were justified, particularly given his extensive military and government experience.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this case 
. As someone who's obsessed with layout and structure, I find it hard to focus on one aspect of this story without thinking about how everything is just so...scattered 
. It seems like we're supposed to be following Ross' military career and government service as a way to humanize him, but honestly, it feels like his credentials are just trying to distract us from the facts of the case 
.
And why did he feel like he had to use deadly force in this situation? 
We're not getting any clear answers on those fronts, and I think we need more transparency from law enforcement before we can even start discussing justification 
. Can't we just focus on the facts for once? 
. I mean, he's a war vet, so you'd think he'd know better, right? But now we're talking about taking a life over a traffic stop? That's not right... The fact that he's got all these awards and medals just makes it even weirder. It's like, does that give him a free pass to act however he wants? I don't think so 
. We need more accountability in situations like this...
I cant even believe what happend to Renee Nicole Good! 
How can this be? 
I know he wasnt trying 2 hurt her but did he have to be that aggressive?! 
We need 2 talk about this & make sure justice is served for Renee! 
but it doesn't excuse killing some poor woman on the street 
? And what's with all these "higher value targets" 
. Not to mention the fact that his agency didn't reach out to him since the incident... suspicious 
you'd think with all that experience he'd know how to handle a situation without resorting to deadly force... i mean, breaking into someone's car and using his taser because he felt threatened? 
that's not exactly the kind of calm and collected demeanor you'd want from law enforcement. and now he's got the lives of innocent people like Renee Good on his hands... it's just not right 
. and let's not forget all those awards he got for his military service, like does that really matter when you're breaking human life in real life 
. he got trained for war, not police work 
. and what's up with the "higher value target" thing? sounds like profiling to me 
. and that earlier incident where he dragged the driver around... same energy as this one 
That car incident where Ross broke into a guy's car and used his Taser multiple times is super concerning too. It sounds like he was looking for an excuse to get involved in some kind of drama... 
. And what's with all these awards he got? Does it even matter when it comes to making life-or-death decisions like that? I don’t know, maybe it just shows how messed up things are when someone with so much experience can still go wrong 
stats on fatal police shootings show us: 
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but honestly it feels kinda weird that he was so aggressive towards her and the other officers involved were too slow to react 
What if we gave police officers who have no experience with de-escalation tactics the same level of autonomy as someone with years of training and expertise?