Author Stephen King’s X post on Friday saying there was no “visual evidence” that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis last week was “run over” by her car has sparked backlash online.
“The visual evidence shows no indication that the agent who fired the shots, Jonathan Ross, had been run over,” he wrote on X.
Why It Matters
King’s comment come after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Ross had suffered internal bleeding to his torso during the January 7 encounter. Some social media users who lean politically left have questioned if the agent did actually suffer internal bleeding, which can vary in severity from bruising to significant blood loss.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said Ross was struck by Good’s vehicle and that he fired in self-defense, a characterisation that has been rejected by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Minnesota officials.
Video captured by bystanders has not clearly shown Good’s vehicle making contact with Ross. He and other officers were seen walking without obvious difficulty after the 37-year-old was shot and crashed her vehicle.
What To Know
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King’s post quickly sparked criticism from many X users.
Some users posted that nobody was claiming the agent was actually “run over,” but said that videos of the shooting showed he was hit by the vehicle. Others pointed to the report that Ross suffered internal bleeding, suggesting it was evidence he was struck by Good’s vehicle.
Make America Great Again (MAGA) influencer Gunther Eagleman wrote on Friday that videos show Good “tried to run over and MURDER the ICE agent.” Right-wing influencer, Catturd, who has 4 million followers on X, responded with a GIF of former President Joe Biden saying, “What a stupid son of a b****.”
A pro-Trump X user with the handle @iAnonPatriot who has more than 780,000 followers, told King: “You’re Ike 100 years old. Get your eyes checked.” And another pro-Trump X account, Sarah Sizzle, with over 150,000 followers shared a GIF captioned “What an idiot!”
However, some agreed with King, a vocal Trump critic, noting that videos showed Ross walking away from the scene of the shooting without any apparent injury.
King has not commented further on social media on Friday. But in a post on X last week, he wrote: “The louder right-wingers talk, the more worried they are. Renee Good has got them screaming.”
Hours after Good was fatally shot, President Donald Trump told reporters with The New York Times that Good “ran [the agent] over.” Administration officials said Ross had acted to avoid being run over by Good, while Minnesota officials said videos show the shooting was not necessary.
Bystander video shows one officer ordering Good to open the door of her vehicle and grabbing the handle. The footage shows that as the vehicle begins to move forward, Ross, standing in front, raises his weapon and fires at least three shots at close range, jumping back as the SUV advances and turns.
On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security told Newsweek that Ross suffered internal bleeding to his torso during the encounter. Officials did not provide further details about how extensive the bleeding was or his current condition. Newsweek contacted DHS for further comment via email.
Newsweek previously reported that Ross was dragged by a vehicle and injured in June while trying to apprehend a suspect.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said in an interview with the Times, shortly after the shooting that Good “ran him [the agent] over. She didn’t try to run him over. She ran him over.”
Vice President JD Vance wrote on X on Wednesday: “While much of left has lied about this case, it turns out ramming a law enforcement officer with a car causes injuries. Who knew!”
Billionaire Elon Musk wrote on X on Wednesday: “She almost killed him.”
Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, wrote on X in response to a DHS post on January 7: “You’re lying. There was no attempt to run the officer over and no ICE agents appear to be hurt. Get out of our city.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday: “You don’t need to take my word for it. You don’t need to take their word for it. Watch the video. The ICE agent was not run over, as Trump stated. You had a person that was definitively trying to just get out of there. They were trying to leave the scene; that is not a person that’s trying to run an ICE agent over.”
What Happens Next
The shooting has intensified protests against ICE in Minneapolis.
An FBI investigation into Good’s shooting is ongoing, while Minnesota officials have raised alarm after federal officials blocked state investigators from accessing evidence and declared the state has no jurisdiction to investigate the killing. The Justice Department on Tuesday said it does not believe there is currently any basis to open a criminal civil rights investigation.
Meanwhile, Good’s family has hired the law firm Romanucci & Blandin to conduct their own investigation into the shooting.
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