Local neighbor reveals Minneapolis ICE shooter claimed to be a botanist: ‘I had no idea'

CHASKA, MINNESOTA: Jonathan Ross, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, was identified in connection with the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. 

In the aftermath of the incident, a neighbor in his community revealed she had believed Ross worked in an entirely different profession. The neighbor’s account sheds light on how he presented himself to those around him.

Neighbor’s account of Jonathan Ross profession

A woman living near Ross told People, that she was shocked to learn he was an ICE agent, describing him instead as someone who told neighbors he was a botanist. 

The neighbor said she met Ross once at a neighborhood garage party during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, where he spoke about his job, “He said he worked with plants, as a botanist, so he lied about what he did.”

According to her, Ross kept largely to himself and never shared that he was a federal agent until he was identified by media after the shooting. She recalled him saying he “enjoyed border control… but loved plants,” adding, “So when I found out he was the one on the news, I said, What! That’s so crazy! I had no idea he was an ICE agent.”

Following the fatal incident, the neighbor said she saw other agents removing Ross’ belongings from his home and noted that a patrol car had been stationed nearby, “It really creeps me out that those are my neighbors, that that’s the kind of people I live next to.”

She further said, "I just assumed all the ICE agents were like, from Texas and Arizona and Florida." Speaking of her unease, she said, "I think it impacted a lot of our neighbors that way. People really haven’t been talking about it because you just want to maintain some peace on the road, you don’t want to start fights."

She also said the situation has been difficult to take in, adding, “But it’s just really hard to process. And then every day, you hear about more people getting detained.”

Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino joins federal agents at the scene of a shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan 7, 2026 (Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost via AP) 

Jonathan Ross and the shooting of Renee Nicole Good

The incident occurred when Ross, wearing a mask at the scene, fired multiple close-range shots into Good’s vehicle. Bystander videos from the incident showed Good’s vehicle subsequently crashing into other cars parked along Portland Avenue, less than a mile from the location where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.

On Friday, January 9, Alpha News shared newly surfaced cellphone footage, described by the outlet as recorded from Ross’s own viewpoint which captures the moments leading up to and during the confrontation between Good and the officer.

“That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you,” Good can be heard saying to the person filming, while her wife, Becca Good, is seen recording Ross on her phone. Law enforcement sources said that Good, suffered gunshot wounds to the head and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Another ICE officer is seen yelling at Good to get out of the car, and multiple gunshots are heard before the crash. In the wake of the shooting, federal officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Vice President JD Vance, said Good refused commands and that the officer fired in self-defense.