As he approached Renee Good’s vehicle on a Minneapolis street Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross raised his phone camera and recorded video.
Less than a minute later, he was still recording when he pulled out his gun and fatally shot Good as she sped off.
Those extraordinary images, along with video shot by bystanders and a 3D model created by CNN of the confrontation, show Good and his wife defying ICE officers, but also raise new questions about Ross’s tactics and his decision to use deadly force.
Analysis of ICE agent’s cell phone images and tactics
The video evidence also appears to undermine elements of the government’s narrative about what happened.
CNN’s analysis found that while the Department of Homeland Security claims Good was “blocking” ICE agents, several cars, including one driven by Ross, were able to surround Good’s vehicle before the shooting.
Some experts said Ross’s decision to use a cellphone to record the encounter, even as he fired the fatal shots, could have hindered his ability to respond effectively in the moment.
“If you’re an officer… then you shouldn’t be burdened by anything that’s in your hands,” said Jonathan Wackrow, a CNN law enforcement analyst. “That’s what body cameras are for. But they’re not body cameras.”
Trump administration officials have defended Ross and said he acted in self-defense, arguing that the video he recorded makes clear he had no choice but to shoot. Following the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the incident as “an act of domestic terrorism.”
“These images corroborate what DHS has stated all along: that this individual was impeding law enforcement and used his vehicle as a weapon in an attempt to kill or cause bodily harm to federal authorities,” DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “The officer feared for his own life and that of his colleagues and acted in self-defense.”
But a former senior law enforcement official with knowledge of DHS found Ross’s actions deeply troubling.
“I would have been furious if one of my parents had done that,” the former official, who requested to speak anonymously, told CNN. “If you’re so concerned about your safety…then why are you tying your hands and paying attention to your cell phone? They clearly didn’t feel threatened.”
Despite recording throughout the incident, Ross’s cell phone is not focused on Good while the shooting occurs.
Several experts who reviewed the incident commented on how quickly it escalated and how Ross limited his tactical response by positioning himself so close to the front of the vehicle during the confrontation.
Seconds before the shooting, Good and his wife are seen talking to Ross. Their verbal exchanges are not heated. Good can be seen telling Ross that she is “not mad” at him.
“I think the most telling part is when he walks past her and she smiles,” said former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, a CNN contributor. “She doesn’t look anything like a domestic terrorist. That’s for sure… although you don’t know what she has in mind.”
ICE does not have a definitive policy on recording interactions or incidents on cell phone devices, whether personal or government, according to a federal law enforcement source. However, the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility can review a government device upon request. A court order or subpoena is generally required to access officers’ personal phones.
Ross, a law enforcement veteran with nearly two decades of experience in Border Patrol and ICE, was among a group of agents working in south Minneapolis on Wednesday when they encountered Good, who had stopped his burgundy SUV across the road.
Renee Good’s wife, Becca Good, said in a statement to MPR News that they had “stopped to support our neighbors.”
“We had whistles. They had guns,” he wrote, in an apparent reference to activists who warn about ICE activity by blowing whistles.
Noem and others have described Good as “impeding” ICE activities on Wednesday.
“ICE officers and agents approached the vehicle of the person in question, who was blocking the officers’ path with her vehicle. And she had been stalking and impeding their work all day,” Noem said.
The videos seen by CNN do not shed light on possible previous encounters between Good and ICE agents.
However, although her vehicle was perpendicular to the road, footage shows that several vehicles, including large SUVs, were able to surround her as she moved back and forth across the street.
That includes a light-colored SUV driven by Ross.
Bystander footage shows that shortly after he exited his truck and approached Renee Good’s vehicle, Ross pulled out his cell phone and recorded.
His video shows him recording Good in the driver’s seat. Good seemed calm and had both hands visible when she said, “It’s okay, buddy. I’m not mad at you.”
Becca Good, who had been a passenger but got out of the truck, held her phone up to Ross and said, “Do you want to come to us? Do you want to come to us? I’m telling you to go have lunch, boy.”
Another officer can be heard in the footage telling Good, the driver, to “get out of the damn car.”
Ross was still filming as he walked in front of Good’s vehicle. Good first put his vehicle in reverse and then accelerated forward. “Drive, honey, drive!” Becca Good can be heard screaming from outside the vehicle.
Renee Good appeared to push the steering wheel away from Ross as she drove forward. The angle of Ross’s phone does not capture any contact between him and the car.
With his cell phone still clutched in one hand and recording, Ross yelled “Woah,” pulled out his gun with his other hand and fired at the car, killing Good, whose vehicle continued to speed down the street before crashing.
Footage shows that as Ross walked down the street moments after the shooting, he still had his phone out and his camera app open.
Trump administration officials have shared the images captured by Ross, arguing that they justify their decision to use lethal force.
“Watch this, as hard as it is,” Vice President JD Vance tweeted, with a link to Ross’ video. “Many of you have been told that this law enforcement officer was not hit by a car, was not being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman. The reality is that his life was in danger and he shot in self-defense.”
Wackrow said there are times when it is appropriate for law enforcement officials to use cell phones to document incidents, particularly if they are assigned that job in the first place.
But he said Ross’s cell phone activity at all times could be concerning.
“You shouldn’t have anything in your hands. You should be prepared to address any type of threat or problem that arises,” Wackrow said.
The deadly shooting shows why it is important for all agencies to equip their officers with body cameras, Ramsey said.
“In my opinion, federal, local and state agents should wear body cameras,” he said. “More often than not, it actually shows that the officer’s actions were justified, not the other way around.”
cnn Jamie Gangel and Holmes Lybrand contributed to this story.