Hundreds protest in Durham in support of Minneapolis woman killed by ICE agent
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- About 500 people marched in downtown Durham to protest Renee Good's killing.
- Protesters chanted, marched multiple downtown streets; police reported no arrests.
- Called on local leaders to arrest ICE agent Jonathan Ross.
Several hundred people marched in downtown Durham Thursday to protest the killing of Minneapolis woman Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer.
Hundreds gathered in CCB Plaza before marching through the streets of downtown Durham.
Chants of Good’s name and “stand up, fight back” echoed as protesters proceeded down East Chapel Hill Road, North Mangum Street and West Main Street. The Durham Police Department said in a release it made no arrests.
Good was shot and killed Wednesday by an ICE agent — later identified by The Minnesota Star Tribune as Jonathan Ross — in south Minneapolis.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Good of ramming into Ross — who federal officials have not publicly named as of Thursday night — and said Ross acted in self-defense. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, pushed back on the federal government’s characterization of Good’s actions.
Videos from bystanders show the sequence of events unfolded quickly and illustrate the conflicting narratives.
A recording obtained by The Minnesota Reformer shows Good’s car in the middle of vehicles manned by federal agents, though the video doesn’t show what preceded the shooting. In the video, an ICE agent approaches Good’s driver side and tugs on the door before Good reverses and drives forward. Ross, standing in front of Good’s car, appears to shoot at the windshield once while moving out of Good’s path before shooting twice more through the driver’s window.
In Durham, those at the protest, organized by the Triangle Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), demanded more than words from Democratic leaders.
PSL organizer Alex Trejo called on Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to arrest Ross, saying no “complicated investigation” was necessary.
“Any claim that Jonathan Ross acted in self-defense is an outrageous lie,” Trejo told the crowd.
PSL organizer Amy Aponte told The News & Observer she remembered that many restaurants in Durham closed for the week in November when Border Patrol came to the Triangle. Many feared leaving their homes for work or school.
“This was a bizarre way to live,” Aponte said. “Our immigrant neighbors are not doing anything wrong. They just come here for a better life. They come here to build a family. They come here to build this country [and] contribute to the economy, and this is how they’re treated.”
Aponte was inspired by Durham students who protested Border Patrol’s presence in the Triangle. It was “really sad” for her to see what happened to Good, but seeing it only strengthened her resolve to continue organizing.
“She was out protecting her community members, protecting her neighbors,” Aponte said. “It just inspires me to do the same — to take care of one another.”
In the Spotlight designates ongoing topics of high interest that are driven by The News & Observer’s focus on accountability reporting.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 9:48 PM.