A new report reveals that the ICE officer who killed Renee Good in a shooting that ignited nationwide protests earlier this year returned to work shortly after the incident, while federal investigations into the case have stalled. This case highlights the federal government's failure to fully investigate deaths and injuries caused by immigration officials.
Officer Jonathan Ross Reassigned
Jonathan Ross, the officer who fatally shot Good in Minneapolis in January, was moved to another state after an initial three-day administrative leave. He is now performing administrative and investigative duties, according to the report published Monday by PunchUp, a new investigative outlet founded by Daily Beast reporter Tom Latchem.
FBI Investigation Stalled
The FBI investigation into the shooting has stalled, PunchUp reports, citing senior officials. As a result, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been unable to proceed with an internal review of the incident. An unnamed ICE official told PunchUp that the probe was just hanging out there and that the FBI should act. Federal officials have also impeded the local investigation into Good's death. Multiple unnamed Department of Homeland Security officials told PunchUp that the White House itself was behind federal agencies' refusal to cooperate with state investigators.
Last month, the state of Minnesota sued the federal government for access to evidence from the fatal shootings of Good and Alex Pretti, whom federal agents fatally shot days after Good's death, as well as evidence from the nonfatal shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis. The federal refusal to share evidence with state investigators is extremely unusual.
Details of the Shooting
After encountering Good behind the wheel of her Honda Pilot on a Minneapolis street in January, one agent told Good to get out of her vehicle and reached for the driver's side door handle while Ross circled the car on foot, filming video. As Good began to drive off, Ross, who had walked in front of the vehicle, drew his firearm and shot at Good three times, killing her. Video from Ross's phone revealed he called Good a "fucking bitch" after shooting her.
Policy Violations and Aftermath
Ross and other agents who interacted with Good before her death appear to have violated ICE's use of force policies, according to a copy of the ICE Firearms and Use of Force Directive obtained by HuffPost. Separately, ICE agents in at least one field office were reminded to avoid standing in front of cars and to let people drive away if they seemed intent on doing so. When reached for comment, a DHS media account said in an emailed statement that Ross acted according to his training and in a manner that ensured his safety and that of his fellow officers and bystanders. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment.
Ross's killing of Good, followed days later by another fatal shooting by DHS agents of Pretti, set off nationwide protests. The deaths and backlash contributed to the drawdown of federal forces from Minneapolis, Donald Trump's decision to yank Border Patrol mascot Greg Bovino from the area, and the ouster of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The day after Pretti was fatally shot, Bovino said the agents involved had not been placed on administrative leave and instead had been allowed to keep working. Three days later, DHS reversed course, saying that the two agents who shot at Pretti had been placed on leave.
In recent months, the federal government has consistently blocked transparency into shooting investigations, exaggerated or lied about agents' injuries, and falsely smeared victims as domestic terrorists and criminals. After an immigration agent shot Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis in January, the Trump administration claimed agents had been ambushed and that Sosa-Celis and others had attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle. Video proved that was a lie, and federal prosecutors ultimately dropped the charges, citing newly discovered evidence materially inconsistent with the allegations.
In Chicago, Border Patrol agent Charles Exum, who shot Marimar Martinez multiple times in October last year, was back at work within three days of the incident, according to Martinez's attorney. Exum called Martinez a bitch before shooting her five times, video showed, and drove his car across the country after the shooting despite the vehicle being potential evidence. As with other cases, video showed Exum had lied about what happened. The Trump administration referred to Martinez as a domestic terrorist after the shooting.
