Homicide means the death came at the hands of another person and does not necessarily mean the person died from a criminal act.

January 24, 2026 at 12:03AM
Renee Nicole Good stands on a beach at sunset. She wears a red gown and is smiling into the camera.
Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. (Knot & Anchor Photography)
Renee Nicole Good stands on a beach at sunset. She wears a red gown and is smiling into the camera.

More than two weeks after she was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death of Renee Good a homicide.

The office released the information on Jan. 22 concerning the 37-year-old Minneapolis woman’s killing by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in a form that was posted to its public data portal.

The preliminary disclosure indicated she was shot multiple times, but offered no further specifics from the autopsy.

Homicide is defined as a death that occurs at the hands of another person and does not necessarily mean the person died from a criminal act.

When the office released the same form one week after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in 2020, it also included this explanation: “Manner of death classification is a statutory function of the medical examiner, as part of death certification for purposes of vital statistics and public health. Manner of death is not a legal determination of culpability or intent, and should not be used to usurp the judicial process. Such decisions are outside the scope of the medical examiner’s role or authority. Under Minnesota state law, the medical examiner is a neutral and independent office and is separate and distinct from any prosecutorial authority or law enforcement agency.”

The office included no such caveat for its release addressing Good’s death, which has prompted ongoing protests across the Twin Cities, Minnesota and elsewhere in the country.

The lawyer representing Good’s family released preliminary results of an independent autopsy Jan. 21 showing details consistent with a report from local first responders that was released last week.

On Jan. 23, lawyer Antonio Romanucci said that “we are aware of the release of basic information by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner acknowledging the death of Renee Good as a homicide. We are still waiting for their full report and hope that they communicate with Renee’s family and share their report before releasing any further information to the public.”