Before Democrats rushed to label a federal agent a “murderer,” the public deserved to know who Renee Nicole Good really was — and what she was doing in the moments before she was killed.
Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was not a bystander caught in chaos. She was a committed anti-ICE activist embedded in a coordinated resistance network designed to disrupt immigration enforcement — and she was actively participating in that effort when she was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
Good was driving an SUV that blocked a residential street during a large protest against a federal immigration operation on Wednesday. According to video evidence, ICE agents approached her vehicle and issued commands for her to exit. Instead, the vehicle began moving — first reversing, then moving forward — with one agent standing directly in its path.
That agent, Jonathan “Jon” Ross, fired his weapon. Good crashed nearby and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ross has since been vilified by Democratic politicians and activist groups. But the Trump administration has stood firmly behind him, arguing the shooting was a lawful act of self-defense.
The context Democrats leave out is critical: Good was deeply involved in organized efforts to “resist and document” ICE operations.
Friends and associates have now confirmed that Good was part of a tightly knit activist network tied to her six-year-old son’s charter school, Southside Family Charter School — a school that openly promotes a “social justice first” ideology and boasts of “involving kids in political and social activism.”
One fellow parent, Leesa, told The New York Post exactly how Good was viewed within activist circles.
“She was a warrior. She died doing what was right,” Leesa said.
“She was trained against these ICE agents — what to do, what not to do, it’s a very thorough training.”
“I know she was doing the right thing. I watched the video plenty of times but I also know in my heart the woman she was, she was doing everything right.”
That “training,” according to activists, involves learning how to confront ICE agents, monitor their movements, assert legal rights, and deliberately insert oneself into enforcement operations.
Good and her wife, Rebecca, moved to Minneapolis just last year after briefly fleeing the U.S. following Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. They had initially gone to Canada before settling in the Democrat-run sanctuary city.
Once there, Good quickly immersed herself in activist life, joining the local “ICE Watch” coalition — a group dedicated to disrupting immigration raids.
Michelle Gross, president of Community United Against Police Brutality and a paralegal with the National Lawyers Guild, confirmed Good’s role.
She said Good volunteered in a network of “neighborhood patrols” made up of hundreds of activists tasked with tracking, monitoring, and recording ICE activity.
Gross claimed she had “first-hand” knowledge of Good’s participation and said “that’s what she was doing” when she was confronted by federal agents.
These networks operate using phone apps to track ICE vehicles, honking horns to warn residents, and even whistling as coded alerts. The goal is not observation — it is interference.
Former gym teacher Rashad Rich, who recently resigned from Southside Family Charter School, admitted activism was widespread among parents.
“A lot of parents are [activists],” he said. “From my understanding, she was involved in social justice … we are a tight-knit community.”
Rich also claimed students were taught about politically charged topics ranging from George Floyd’s death to Aboriginal rights in Australia — a striking example of ideology filtering down even to young children.
Video of the incident shows ICE agents approaching Good’s stationary Honda Pilot, asking her to exit the vehicle. One agent pulls at the door handle. Good begins to reverse, then shifts forward.
Ross stands in front of the vehicle, draws his weapon, and fires as the SUV moves toward him.
Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at the conservative nonprofit Advancing American Freedom, explained the legal standard.
“You have an officer who is trying to conduct a lawful detention of a driver who is blocking the road, trying to impede law enforcement as they’re going down that road. That driver is not being compliant with these lawful commands, and, in fact, seems to be trying to escape that situation,” Swearer said.
She dismissed online speculation about wheel direction and Ross’s positioning.
“He explicitly does not have a duty to retreat in the way that a civilian would under these circumstances,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter whether that driver subjectively was not trying to hit the officer,” Swearer added. “It matters what the officer can reasonably perceive. He can’t read her mind. He just knows that you have someone who’s ignoring lawful commands, who is moving the car toward him. That is deadly force.”
Ross is described by federal sources as an experienced agent. Last year, he suffered serious injuries while attempting to arrest an illegal immigrant sex offender.
“He’s the same ICE agent who got dragged by car 50 feet back in June, so he has a history,” an FBI agent told the Daily Mail anonymously.
That agent said he personally questioned whether the shooting was justified, adding: “Shot one, sort of can be argued, but shots two and three – they cannot be argued.”
Minneapolis has remained tense since the shooting. Protesters have gathered outside immigration court carrying signs reading “ICE Out Now,” “We deserve to be safe in our community,” and “Resist Fascism.”
Chants included “We Keep Us Safe,” “ICE Out Now,” “ICE Go Home,” “Quit Your Job,” and “Justice Now!”
Schools cancelled classes as a precaution, while Governor Tim Walz urged calm.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2,000 officers in what it describes as its largest immigration enforcement operation ever — a clear signal that federal authorities are not backing down, no matter how loudly activist networks protest.
