Cold As ICE: the Killing Begins
The shots fired in Minneapolis echoed around the world. Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good and America will never be the same.
Good, a young mother of three, had dropped off her youngest at elementary school and was returning home with her wife and dog when she encountered ICE agents. She had every right to be where she was. Ross – one of the agents – should not have been there that day. He was arguably not fit to patrol the streets while armed.
The Trauma of Jonathan Ross
On June 17, 2025, Ross attempted to arrest Roberto Carlos Muñoz-Guatemala who, according to NBC News, “was in the country illegally” and had previously been “arrested for domestic assault and convicted of sex crimes against an underage teenager.” A different NBC News report stated “Ross broke the window of a car when the driver refused to exit the vehicle and then found himself being dragged at least 50 yards when the driver hit the gas.”
“‘I was yelling at him to stop,’ Ross testified, according to NBC News. “‘Over and over and over again at the top of my lungs.’” “Ross said in his testimony that he feared for his life and fired his Taser repeatedly at Muñoz-Guatemala,” added the NBC News report. “After Ross fell from Muñoz-Guatemala’s car, he was in ‘excruciating’ pain,” the report added. “He needed 33 stitches across all of his wounds.”
A video of the incident shows Ross being violently dragged by the vehicle, as well as the substantial injury to his arm as he lay in a hospital bed.
“Vice President JD Vance raised the June encounter with reporters,” noted CNN. “‘You think,’ the vice president asked, ‘maybe he’s a little bit sensitive about someone ramming him with an automobile?’” The Minister of Scowl is onto something. Ross likely suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). CNN asked ICE if Ross had been treated for lingering trauma, noting, “The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.”
“PTSD occurs when the brain’s natural stress response becomes stuck in survival mode,’” writes Dr. Safa Rubaye, Chief Science Officer at PsyTech VR. “Instead of processing traumatic memories as past events,” he notes, “the brain replays them as if the danger is still present.”
“Past traumatic experiences can also distort how an officer perceives a threat,” added Dr. Rubaye. “Some officers may become overly cautious and hesitate in critical moments of fear of making a mistake, while others may swing to the opposite extreme, reacting impulsively or with excessive force because their brains are in a fight-or-flight mode.”
The Murder of Renee Nicole Good
Ross exhibited fight-or-flight mode behavior when he killed Renee Good.
The Associated Press reports “Trump administration officials have defended the agent as an experienced law enforcement professional who followed his training and shot Good after he believed she was trying to run him or other agents over with her vehicle.”
If Ross “followed his training” it was peculiar training indeed. Consider the video shot by Ross himself. He walks in front of the car – what training recommends that? –then alongside the driver’s side, where he confronts Good, who greets him amicably.
At the 21 second mark Ross’ reflection is visible next to the tail light. He holds the phone in his right hand; his left hand is at his side. He walks around the back of Good’s SUV and encounters Good’s wife, who gently teases him. Ross recklessly crosses in front of Good’s vehicle a second time and pauses near the left headlight. Good’s wife cries out, “Drive! Drive!” and Good turns the steering wheel to the right, away from where Ross was standing. The last shot of Good’s car shows the bumper and right headlight. The camera pitches toward the sky, briefly goes black, then shows a house across the street before focusing on Good’s SUV as it speeds into a utility pole. A man – likely Ross – says, “Fucking bitch.”
Ross fired three shots at Good. The first, which went through the edge of the windshield, was fired while Ross’ feet were out of the way of Good’s vehicle. The second and third shots were fired into the driver’s window at point blank range while Ross was clear of the vehicle.
Ross fired his gun with his right hand, after switching the phone to his left. A recent New York Times video analysis shows Good’s car did not strike Ross at any time. Not only did Ross apparently have time to step out of the way, he had time to switch his phone from his right hand to his left. The video doesn’t show an officer acting in self-defense. It seems to show him “reacting impulsively or with excessive force because (his brain was) in a fight-or-flight mode.”
America Has Been Changed Forever
Whatever Ross’ state of mind, he had no reason to kill Renee Good. “If you’ve got time to shoot, you’ve got time to get out of the way, which we saw in this case,” noted law professor Dennis Kenney. “The guy was clearly able to avoid being impacted by the car.”
Did Ross return to duty despite not being ready? If so, Trump and his minions don’t care. They want as many ICE agents on American streets as possible.
“Homeland Security is also bringing in a wave of new agents and officers – more than 12,000 in recent months, which officials have said is ‘faster than any previous recruitment effort in the agency’s history,’” notes The Washington Post. “The hiring spree has raised concerns that the agency is watering down training to increase officer deployments.”
As ICE expands, Americans suffer. Trump recently warned in a Truth Social post, “FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!”
Substitute “America” for Minnesota. ICE is everywhere. Last week, a young man in Southern California was partially blinded by ICE violence. “All of us, citizens and immigrants alike,” wrote Michelle Goldberg in The New York Times, “are being ruled by people who think life is a privilege bestowed by authority, and death is a fair penalty for disobedience.”
This summer, America will celebrate the semiquincentennial of its founding, when it threw off the rule of a mad king. To honor the event, we must do it again.
It is time for America’s second Independence Day.
© 2026 By Mike Tully
