Jonathan Ross
True Blue/Facebook

In the quiet suburbs of Minneapolis, the illusion of a peaceful neighbourhood was shattered this week, not just by a fatal shooting on a snowy street, but by the revelation that a local resident had been living a double life.

Jonathan Ross, a man known to his neighbours as a quiet botanist with a love for plants, has been unmasked as the tactical ICE agent who fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good on 7 January 2026. The fallout has been swift and toxic, turning a residential cul-de-sac into a battleground of doxing, protests, and digital vitriol.

As news of the shooting spread, the scrutiny shifted from the tragedy on Portland Avenue to the doorstep of Ross's own home. In a now-deleted TikTok video, a woman claiming to be his neighbour, Sarah Larson, took the extraordinary step of inviting the public to target the agent's residence.

Larson filmed herself approaching police officers stationed outside the property, demanding to know if they were protecting Ross or the community. Despite their reassurances, Larson told her followers she believed Ross was hiding inside and encouraged those who 'didn't like' him to circle the house and make him 'uncomfortable'.

The Botanist's Mask: Unravelling The Jonathan Ross Deception

For those who lived alongside him, the most jarring aspect of the story was the discovery that Ross had allegedly lied about his profession for years. According to neighbours who spoke with People, Ross had introduced himself at a neighbourhood garage party during the COVID-19 pandemic as a botanist.

'He said he worked with plants, as a botanist, so he lied about what he did,' one resident remarked, expressing shock that a tactical deportation officer had been hiding in plain sight.

The reality, as revealed by The Daily Beast and court records, is that Ross is a seasoned Iraq War veteran and a 10-year veteran of federal law enforcement. Having joined ICE in 2015, he was part of an elite Special Response Team.

This discrepancy between his 'botanist' persona and his tactical reality has left the community reeling. 'I had no idea he was an ICE agent,' the neighbour added, noting that the incident has made it hard for residents to even speak to one another as they attempt to maintain a fragile peace.

Digital Fallout: The Human Cost Of The Jonathan Ross Scandal

The backlash against Ross has not been confined to his front lawn. The digital sphere has become increasingly volatile, with the focus expanding to include Sarah Larson's family. Following the deletion of her TikTok account, allegations surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) regarding Larson's teenage daughter, with some users claiming the girl was being used to spread 'radical leftist propaganda'.

The rhetoric became so heated that some accounts urged the girl's father, who is divorced from Larson, to intervene and 'protect' his children from their mother's influence.

As protests continue to mount in Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security and President Donald Trump have stepped in to defend Ross, claiming he acted in self-defence after Good allegedly attempted to 'ram' him with her SUV.

However, witnesses and local officials, including Mayor Jacob Frey, have contested this narrative, describing the shooting as a 'reckless' use of power.

With the Ross family reportedly now in hiding and federal agents swarming their former home, the 'botanist' of the suburbs has become the face of a national crisis.

The community he once lived in is left to pick up the pieces, wondering how well they ever truly know the people living next door.

Writer's pick