Minneapolis, Minnesota – The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot and killed a 37-year-old mother of three earlier this week may have violated widely accepted law enforcement use-of-force standards, according to a former police chief who reviewed bystander video of the incident that has circulated online.
The shooting occurred Wednesday, Jan. 8, when ICE agent Jonathan Ross opened fire on Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis resident, during an attempted enforcement action. Good died at the scene. The case was first reported in detail by PEOPLE, which interviewed multiple law enforcement experts about the incident.
Expert Says Agent Was Not in Immediate Danger
Chris Burbank, a former police chief in Salt Lake City with 25 years of law enforcement experience, said he does not believe the agent’s life—or anyone else’s—was in immediate danger when the shots were fired.
“In order to use deadly force in this country, your life or someone else’s life must be in immediate danger,” Burbank told PEOPLE after reviewing the video footage.
Burbank, who now works as a consultant with the Center for Policing Equity, said the video appears to show the agent firing at a moving vehicle, a tactic discouraged or prohibited under many modern police policies.
“What we saw in this video is a violation of what I view as pretty plain and clear police tactics,” Burbank said, adding that decades of reform efforts were designed to protect both officers and civilians.
Federal Officials Defend the Shooting
Federal authorities have pushed back strongly against criticism of the agent’s actions.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a Wednesday news conference that the agent was an experienced officer who acted according to his training. Noem claimed Good refused repeated commands to exit her vehicle and attempted to drive toward federal agents.
According to reporting by CBS, Noem described Good’s actions as a “domestic act of terrorism,” a characterization that has drawn sharp criticism from state and local leaders.
Trump Supports Federal Account Despite Video Questions
President Donald Trump also defended the agent’s actions in an interview with The New York Times, stating that Good attempted to “run over” the officer.
“I want to see nobody get shot,” Trump told the Times. “I want to see nobody screaming and trying to run over policemen either.”
Trump reportedly showed Times reporters video footage that he said supported his claim, though reporters noted that the video did not clearly substantiate the assertion.
State and Local Leaders Reject Federal Narrative
Minnesota officials have publicly disputed the federal government’s account of the incident.
Governor Tim Walz posted on social media urging the public not to accept what he described as a misleading portrayal of events. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey went further, bluntly dismissing ICE’s characterization of the shooting.
Their statements reflect growing tension between federal immigration enforcement agencies and local governments in major U.S. cities.
Additional Experts Raise Tactical Concerns
Geoffrey Alpert, a nationally recognized expert on police use of force at the University of South Carolina, reviewed the same videos and echoed Burbank’s concerns.
Both Alpert and Burbank said the footage appears to show Good turning her vehicle away from the agent when shots were fired.
“Why would you put yourself in a more dangerous situation?” Alpert asked, referring to the agent’s positioning in front of the vehicle. “That is a question that needs to be answered.”
Alpert stressed that while the video raises serious questions, a full investigation is necessary before final conclusions are drawn.
Questions About Why Weapons Were Drawn
Burbank also questioned why officers had their guns drawn on Good before the shooting occurred, noting that she was not the target of an investigation and had not committed a serious crime.
“They’re drawing guns on someone that I don’t think needs to have a firearm pointed at them,” Burbank said. “Blocking a roadway is a traffic violation. That’s not a crime.”
Officer Treated and Released From Hospital
Secretary Noem said Thursday that the agent who fired the shots was treated at a hospital and later released. Video from the scene shows the agent walking around after the shooting.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, with pressure mounting for transparency as video evidence continues to circulate and public scrutiny intensifies.
