Sen. Markwayne Mullin defended ICE agent Jonathan Ross on CNN after Ross fired three shots that killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Mullin first said Good "purposely" tried to run over officers, then backtracked, calling the incident "ambiguous." Video shows Good in a stationary SUV before briefly moving; three shots are fired and an agent is later heard using a slur. The case has intensified scrutiny of ICE tactics and prompted calls for a transparent investigation.
Sen. Mullin Defends ICE Agent After Minneapolis Shooting, Then Contradicts Himself On Live TV
Widow and mom-of-one Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis Wednesday. / Facebook
Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin defended an ICE agent who fatally shot a Minneapolis mother, but his account on live television contained notable contradictions that fueled further scrutiny of the incident.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin appeared to stumble through his defense of a federal immigration agent on Sunday who killed a 37-year-old mother. / CNN/ / CNN
What Happened
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross fired three shots into a vehicle in Minneapolis, killing 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. The shooting—captured on video from multiple angles—occurred after agents confronted Good while she was in her SUV. Authorities say agents gave verbal commands before shots were fired.
Screenshot/Alpha News/X
Mullin’s Interview
On CNN’s State of the Union, Sen. Mullin initially said, "Renee Good was interfering with police activity... once she blocked the ICE agents from doing their job... she purposely tries to accelerate and run over" an agent. He soon softened that claim, admitting, "I don't know if she purposely tried to run over the ICE agent," and called the episode "widely disputed" and full of ambiguities. When asked whether Good’s actions warranted deadly force, Mullin repeatedly said yes, calling the vehicle "a lethal weapon."
A screenshot of a video posted by Max Nesterak on the social media site X shows ICE officer Jonathan Ross shortly after he fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2025. / Screenshot/Max Nesterak/X
Video Evidence
Widely circulated footage—including video obtained by Alpha News—shows Good sitting in a stationary SUV while agents shout at her. After a brief reversal and then forward movement, three shots are fired and Good’s SUV strikes a parked car. The last audible words from Good in the clip are, "That's fine, dude. I'm not mad at you. I'm not mad at you."
Contested Details
Tapper pointed out that the footage appears to show shots fired at the side of the vehicle, in what he described as "out of harm's way" relative to the car’s movement. Mullin dismissed the footage as "very selective imaging." Critics note that an agent is heard uttering a derogatory slur moments after the crash, which undermines the administration’s claim that the agent was grievously wounded and acting under severe duress.
Human Cost and Political Fallout
Renee Good left three children: two from her first marriage (ages 15 and 12) and a six-year-old from a subsequent marriage; her second husband had died earlier. The shooting has intensified debate over ICE tactics and produced conflicting public accounts from the White House and its critics, including former President Donald Trump, who said the agent was run over and hospitalized.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Sen. Mullin for further comment. Local authorities and federal agencies have faced calls for transparent investigation as footage circulates and residents demand answers.
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