False Identification of ICE Shooter as “Steve Grove” Targets Unrelated Individuals

On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, a Minnesota woman was fatally shot during an ICE operation. The ICE agent responsible for her shooting was not immediately disclosed to the public, prompting social media users to speculate about his identity. Within hours, viral posts falsely named the agent as “Steve Grove,” often accompanied by an AI-generated image claiming to reveal his identity.

The Agent’s Name Was Jonathan Ross, Not Steve Grove

Misbar investigated the viral claim and found it to be misleading. The claim contradicts reports of credible media outlets.

Reviewing reports from multiple credible media outlets, Misbar’s team found that the ICE agent who shot Renee Nicole Good is 43-year-old Jonathan Ross.

According to reports by AP News, The Guardian, NBC News, USA Today, and The Washington Post, the agent was identified as Jonathan Ross through a combination of video evidence, official government statements, and records from a previous federal court case.

Furthermore, Tricia McLaughlin, the Homeland Security Assistant Secretary, also confirmed his identity and his status as a deportation officer with over 10 years of experience.

The image that some users circulated, allegedly revealing the real identity of the ICE officer, falsely naming him as “Steve Grove,” is AI-generated.

Misbar’s team previously revealed that this photo, along with other similar photos allegedly revealing the ICE officer’s identity, was AI-generated. Officials have not released the ICE agent’s identity as the investigation is ongoing. In the witness’s video, the agent appears in the same position but with a mask, which he shifts to further hide his facial features, leaving his identity undisclosed.

Minnesota Star Tribune and Its Chief Steve Grove Face Online Hatred

The false identification of the ICE agent as “Steve Grove” had tangible consequences for unrelated individuals who share the same name. The viral misidentification matches the name of the publisher and chief executive of the Minnesota Star Tribune, one of the largest newspapers in the U.S. Midwest, and the author of the Substack newsletter A View from Minnesota. Steve Grove is a well-known media executive and journalist based in Minnesota.

In an article published in his Substack newsletter, Grove said he became the target of a disinformation campaign shortly after the shooting. “Let’s find his address and whole history… He is what nightmares are made of! We will be his nightmare!” one post read. Thousands more followed, many using far harsher language against Grove.

Disinformation expert Renée DiResta told Grove that online users likely used AI tools to generate or “unmask” an image of the masked officer, then ran the fabricated image through reverse image search tools, which incorrectly surfaced the name “Steve Grove.”

Because Grove is the Minnesota Star Tribune’s publisher, the false claim quickly morphed into attacks on the newspaper itself, accusing it of covering up the “truth,” even after credible outlets identified the real shooter.

In response, the Minnesota Star Tribune published a statement debunking the misleading claim, describing it as a “coordinated online disinformation campaign.”

However, the statement did not prohibit calls to boycott the newspaper. CrimeWatchMpls, a popular X account focused on crime reporting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, published to its over 155K followers that “Steve Grove and the Star Tribune can be directly connected to responsibility and complicity” for the ICE shooting.

Meta Shut Down Facebook Account of Steven Grove, Owner of Sigwo Arms, Over Claims

Another person, Steven Grove, the owner of Sigwo Arms, a firearms store in Springfield, Missouri, also faced threats online following the spread of the claim.

According to a report by the Springfield Daily Citizen, Steven Grove said he woke up on January 8, 2026, to find his personal and business Facebook pages flooded with accusations claiming he was connected to the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. 

Grove said that he had never worked as an ICE agent, affirming he spent all of January 7 at his shop on Commercial Street or his home. He added that he never goes by the name “Steve.”

Grove faced threats against him and his family and damage to his business’s reputation. Meta later shut down his Facebook accounts following the wave of reports and harassment.

Who Is Jonathan Ross, the Real ICE Agent?

While false claims about the agent’s identity continued to circulate online and harm unrelated individuals, verified details about the shooter, Jonathan Ross, were already available through official channels.

Jonathan Ross is a veteran deportation officer with more than 10 years of experience at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He is a member of an elite tactical unit within the agency known as the Special Response Team (SRT), which is tasked with high-risk immigration operations.

He served as a machine-gunner in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, and later worked for the Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas, between 2007 and 2015, focusing on cartel and drug smuggling intelligence before joining ICE.

On January 7, Ross was part of an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis when he fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was in a red SUV and appeared to be attempting to flee or turn her vehicle around to leave the scene. Video evidence shows Ross walking toward the front of the car on the driver’s side. As Good shifted the SUV from reverse to drive, Ross pulled out his pistol and fired three shots at her.

Six months before the Minneapolis shooting, Ross was seriously injured during an attempted arrest when he was dragged by a vehicle for approximately 50 to 100 yards. That incident left him with deep lacerations requiring 33 stitches.

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