Governor Walz blames Good's death on reckless ICE operations
Tim WalzGovernor of Minnesota
Governor Tim Walz said he and others had been warning that the heightened ICE operations in the Twin Cities were a danger to public safety, and that the recklessness of those operations cost Renée Good her life. Earlier that day, he disputed ICE's account that the agent fired in self-defense.
“Today, that recklessness cost someone their life.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was ICE Officer Jonathan Ross justified in fatally shooting Renée Good?
On January 7, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renée Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, during a federal immigration operation in south Minneapolis. Good, a poet and writer with an English degree from Old Dominion University who had recently relocated to Minneapolis with her wife and children, was in her SUV near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue when agents approached. Ross fired three shots as Good's vehicle turned away from him; she drove several blocks before crashing and was pronounced dead. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Good had used her vehicle as a weapon against agents and that Ross fired in self-defense. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz disputed that account, saying video of the encounter showed no threat to the agent and calling the self-defense narrative false. The FBI removed the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from the joint investigation the day after the shooting. The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division declined to open its own investigation; Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department was not investigating because circulating video already showed the officer being attacked by the vehicle. As of September 2026, no public charges had been filed against Ross.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Breaking-news account of the Jan. 7, 2026 shooting including eyewitness testimony and same-day statements from ICE, DHS Secretary Noem, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Earlier on the day of the shooting, Walz wrote on social media that he had seen the video and urged people not to believe what he called a "propaganda machine." At a news conference that afternoon, he told reporters that he and others had been warning that the heightened ICE operations in the Twin Cities were a danger to public safety.
After the quotation
Walz added that it was "predictable and avoidable" and urged people to protest peacefully and not force a confrontation.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Walz attributes Good's death to the recklessness of the heightened ICE operations and, the same day, disputed ICE's claim that the agent fired in self-defense. Holding the operations responsible for the killing while rejecting the self-defense account is a condemnation of the shooting rather than only a challenge to how ICE described it.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Jonathan Ross, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by Tim Walz
- Previous language
- Governor Tim Walz said the agent's recklessness cost Renée Good her life, rejecting DHS's characterization of the shooting as self-defense.
- Corrected language
- Governor Tim Walz said he and others had been warning that the heightened ICE operations in the Twin Cities were a danger to public safety, and that the recklessness of those operations cost Renée Good her life. Earlier that day, he disputed ICE's account that the agent fired in self-defense.
An earlier version of this entry said Walz blamed Renée Good's death on the agent's recklessness. In the cited remarks, Walz was describing the recklessness of the heightened ICE operations in the Twin Cities, not the individual agent. We corrected the summary, title, context and label explanation, and clarified the matching line in the case overview.
This corrects our account of what happened.
Breaking-news account of the Jan. 7, 2026 shooting including eyewitness testimony and same-day statements from ICE, DHS Secretary Noem, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)More from this case
Read the full caseDOJ's Blanche says agent was forced to defend himself
“We don't just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody. We investigate when it's appropriate to investigate.”Read statement
Good's wife contrasts their whistles with agents' guns
“We had whistles. They had guns.”Read statement
JD Vance says Jonathan Ross acted in self-defense
“The reason this woman is dead is because she tried to ram somebody with her car and that guy acted in self-defense.”Read statement
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Governor Walz blames Good's death on reckless ICE operations
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Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Governor Walz blames Good's death on reckless ICE operations". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/2125-governor-tim-walz-said-he-and-others-had