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The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis was identified by Homeland Security officials as the same officer injured during another vehicle incident last June, USA TODAY reports.
Jonathan Ross wasn't independently named by officials in court documents, however, they did confirm that the ICE agent involved in Good's fatal shooting was injured in a prior incident six months prior, had at least 10 years of experience as an ICE officer and served on the agency's Special Response Team.
“We are not going to expose the name of this officer. He acted according to his training," wrote Tricia McLaughlin, the Homeland Security spokeswoman, in a statement to USA TODAY.
Vice President JD Vance confirmed that President Donald Trump's administration supported the ICE officer involved in the shooting, acknowledging that he had been "dragged by a car six months ago with 30 stitches in his leg, so he's a little sensitive about being rammed by an automobile" during a White House briefing on Thursday (January 8), though not directly naming Ross. The reference coincides with an incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, in which Ross was injured while apprehending Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, 39, a Mexican national, on June 17.
Ross was reported to have used a window punch to break out the rear window of Munoz-Guatemala's Nissan Altima and got his arm caught as Munoz-Guatemala pulled away, at which point the officer was dragged 100 yards down the street before deploying a taser, though the vehicle continued moving.
"On June 17 in a suburb of Minneapolis this exact same officer was making a lawful arrest of a child pedophile, child sex offender when he reached his arm into the subject's vehicle," McLaughlin said during an appearance on FOX News. "That officer had 33 stitches and abrasions all over his body."
Court documents confirmed that Ross' right arm required 20 stitches and his left hand required 13 more stitches. Munoz-Guatemala, who was previously charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a minor victim and ultimately convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, was found guilty of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon and resulting in bodily injury by a Minnesota federal jury in December in connection with the incident involving Ross, who was serving an administrative warrant for his arrest due to lack of legal status in the United States at the time.
Authorities have differed on the exact incident that led to the fatal shooting of Good on Wednesday (January 7). The DHS claimed the shooting stemmed from an incident in which rioters blocked ICE officers and escalated when they "weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism."
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz denied the Department of Homeland Security's claim, confirming that he's personally seen footage of the incident and an investigation remained active.
Walz had previously confirmed that an investigation into the incident was ongoing.
"My public safety team is working to gather information on an ICE related shooting this morning. We will share information as we learn more. In the meantime, I ask folks to remain calm," Walz said.
Witnesses told KARE 11 that the woman was attempting to flee from ICE agents at the time of the fatal shooting, contradicting the Department of Homeland Security's claim. A burgundy SUV was seen with a bullet hole through the driver's side windshield and had smashed into a light pole at the scene.