Did Renee Good try to run over an ICE agent?
Executive summary
Federal officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, say Renee Nicole Good attempted to run over ICE agents and that an ICE officer fired in self‑defense [1] [2]. Multiple news outlets, local officials and videos circulating online show a more contested scene in which agents gave conflicting orders and the vehicle moved short distances while its wheels turned away from the officer; local leaders and some video analysts dispute the federal characterization that she tried to run over an agent [3] [4] [5] [6].
1. The federal account: agents say she tried to drive through them
Department of Homeland Security spokespeople and senior federal officials publicly characterized Good’s actions as an attempt to ram officers, with DHS saying she “attempted to run over” agents and that the shooting was defensive [2] [6], and White House and administration allies repeating that narrative in statements and social posts referencing prior incidents involving the identified agent [7] [8].
2. The video record: movement, conflicting orders, and fractions of a second
Multiple videos — including a 37–47 second clip believed to be filmed by the agent who fired — show Good sitting in a maroon Honda Pilot, officers approaching, agents giving inconsistent commands, and the vehicle moving forward as shots are fired; ABC’s frame‑by‑frame analysis notes two shots separated by roughly 0.4 seconds as the car began to move [4] [7] [5]. Analysts and some outlets report that footage appears to show Good turning the wheel away from the agent and that the officer did not appear to have been struck by the vehicle immediately before firing [5] [8].
3. Local officials and witnesses contest the “ramming” claim
Minneapolis city leaders, including the mayor and governor, have publicly disputed the federal account, saying the videos do not support an imminent lethal threat and that Good posed no danger in a way that would justify deadly force; local witnesses and activists describe conflicting commands given to Good and characterize her as a legal observer not targeted for arrest [6] [3] [9] [10].
4. Context about the shooter and prior incidents that shaped reactions
News organizations have identified the officer who fired as Jonathan Ross through court records and reporting, and his record — including a June incident in which he was dragged and injured during an unrelated arrest — has been cited by federal defenders to explain his conduct and heightened reactions [11] [12] [8]. That history is marshaled by supporters to frame the shooting as defensive and by critics to caution that prior trauma may have shaped a split‑second decision to fire [8] [12].
5. What independent review and investigations are doing — and what they do not yet show
The FBI has opened an investigation and local prosecutors and federal oversight mechanisms are examining the shooting; news coverage emphasizes that the legal question — whether Good intentionally tried to run over the agents — will rest on forensic, ballistic and fuller video analysis and witness interviews that were ongoing at the time of reporting [7] [3]. Public reporting to date documents the competing claims and the video evidence showing the car’s motion and conflicting orders, but does not yet contain an authoritative, final adjudication of whether Good deliberately attempted to kill or seriously injure ICE agents [5] [3].
Conclusion: the factual answer, as supported by available reporting
Based on current public reporting, federal officials assert that Renee Good tried to run over an ICE agent and justify the shooting as self‑defense [1] [2], while multiple videos, local officials and independent analysts present evidence that complicates that claim — showing conflicting commands, a vehicle movement that may have been evasive, and no immediate evidence in some footage that the agent was struck — leaving the question unresolved in the public record pending the results of formal investigations [4] [5] [6] [3]. Reporting does not yet provide definitive proof either way in court or investigative findings, so the available evidence supports competing narratives rather than conclusively establishing that Good intentionally tried to run over an ICE agent [3] [7].