Fact Check: Did Renee Nicole Good provoke ICE agent Jonathan Ross as claimed by Trump?

Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: After ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation on January 7, President Donald Trump publicly addressed the incident.

In a Truth Social post, Trump called the death “horrible” but defended the agent, claiming Good provoked the encounter and that the officer acted in self-defense. His claims are raising questions about their accuracy, and here’s what is true.

Claim: Trump says Renee Nicole Good provoked ICE agent before he shot her

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "I have just viewed the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a horrible thing to watch."

He described the woman as "a professional agitator," and claimed, "The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense."

Trump added that, after watching the viral video, it was "hard to believe he is alive," but the officer is now recovering in the hospital. He said the situation is being reviewed carefully. The president also blamed the "radical left" for threatening ICE officers and vowed to protect the agents as they work to keep Americans safe and make the country great.

Trump’s statements about the woman and the deadly incident have raised questions online. One X user wrote, "Trump has weighed in on the ICE shooting in Minneapolis. His post is as reckless and riddled with lies as you might expect," and added sarcastically, "Fire meet gasoline."

Fact Check: Trump's claims about Renee Nicole Good are false

DW Fact Check reviewed the 13-second clip shared by Trump and found his claims to be false. A viral video from Minneapolis shows an ICE officer approaching a red SUV stopped in the middle of the road on January 7.

The officer grabs the door handle and demands that the driver open it. When the SUV starts to move forward, the ICE officer fires at least two shots and jumps back as the vehicle approaches.

At first, a slow-motion view around the five-second mark may give the impression that the SUV hit the officer. But by the eight-second mark, the officer is clearly standing upright and watching the vehicle drive away. Watching the video at normal speed makes it clear: the SUV moves, the officer jumps back, and he is not run over.

A Democratic strategist shared a detailed New York Times video on X, stating, “It flatly refutes Trump administration claims — confirming the motorist was driving away, not toward the officer, and the officer was not hit by the vehicle." These facts strongly confirm that Trump’s claims about the woman in the ICE shooting are false.