CNN
By Curt Devine, Thomas Bordeaux, Allison Gordon, Kyung Lah, CNN
(CNN) — As he approached Renee Good’s vehicle on a Minneapolis street on Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross held up his phone camera and recorded video.
Less than a minute later, he was still recording when he drew his weapon and fatally shot Good as she accelerated.
That extraordinary footage, along with video shot by bystanders and a 3D model created by CNN of the confrontation, shows Good and her wife challenging ICE officers – but also raises new questions about Ross’s tactics and decision to use deadly force.
The video evidence also appears to undermine elements of the government’s narrative of what happened.
CNN’s analysis found that while the Department of Homeland Security claims that Good was “blocking” ICE agents, multiple cars – including one driven by Ross – were able to drive around Good’s vehicle before the shooting.
Some experts said Ross’s decision to use a cell phone to record the encounter, including as he fired the fatal shots, could have hampered his ability to respond effectively in the moment.
“If you’re an agent … then you should not be encumbered by anything in your hands,” said Jonathan Wackrow, a CNN law enforcement analyst. “That’s what body worn cameras are for. But they’re not wearing body-worn cameras.”
Trump administration officials have defended Ross and said he acted out of self-defense, arguing that the video he recorded makes it clear he had no choice but to shoot. In the wake of the shooting, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem described the incident as “an act of domestic terrorism.”
“This footage corroborates what DHS has stated all along — that this individual was impeding law enforcement and weaponized her vehicle in an attempt to kill or cause bodily harm to federal law enforcement,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. “The officer was in fear of his own life, the lives of his fellow officers and acted in self-defense.”
But a former senior law enforcement official with knowledge of DHS found Ross’s actions deeply concerning.
“I would have been livid if one of my folks were doing that,” the former official, who requested to speak anonymously, told CNN. “If you’re so concerned about your safety … then why are you tying up your hands and attention on your cell phone? Clearly they didn’t feel threatened.”
Despite recording throughout the incident, Ross’s cell phone is not trained on Good as the shooting occurs.
Several experts who reviewed the incident remarked how quickly it escalated and how Ross limited his tactical response by positioning himself so close to the front of the vehicle during the confrontation.
Seconds before the shooting, Good and her wife are seen talking to Ross. Their verbal exchanges are not heated. Good can be seen saying to Ross she’s “not mad” at him.
“I think the part of it that’s the most telling is when he walks by her and she’s smiling,” said former Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey, who is a CNN contributor. “She doesn’t look anything like a domestic terrorist. That’s for sure … although you don’t know what’s in her mind.”
ICE doesn’t have a definitive policy on recording interactions or incidents on cell phone devices, either personal or government, according to a federal law enforcement source. However, the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility can revie