Preliminary results of an independent autopsy of Renee Good have been released by her family, via her attorneys. Since only three shots were fired news stories I’ve seen recently saying she had four gunshot wounds startled me. That a bullet struck her in two places isn’t such a crazy thing as you might think. I’ll get to that. So it wasn’t Good having four bullet wounds but rather the apparent location of two of the wounds that had me skeptical. Now there’s some clarity which I’ll explain for you.
For the record, I’ve seen gunshot victims including them on a slab, whether at a morgue or a funeral home. Let’s just leave it at that. More to the point, in this article from People we get details on each wound:
The pathologist identified three clear gunshot wound paths to Good’s body. One bullet struck her left forearm, resulting in soft tissue hemorrhage. Another traveled through her right breast, but did not penetrate any major organs. The third gunshot wound proved fatal, as it entered the left side of her head near the temple and exited the right side of her head.
According to the findings, the gunshot wounds to the breast and left forearm were not immediately life-threatening. In addition to these injuries, the pathologist noted a fourth wound, described as a graze wound consistent with a firearm injury, but with no penetration.
I should note the findings of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner (the feds took the car and other evidence but didn’t try to get ahold of Good’s body) hasn’t released any findings. Don’t read too much into that as despite the feds shutting them out, local and state investigators are doing their own investigation despite being told by Team Trump to stand down. As such, while details might be shared with the family and/or their attorneys the time to see that report is if and when state charges get filed.
Anyway, I had tried to figure out from past reporting saying Good had been struck on her right side but also her left arm, and two shots were fired point blank at her head what the hell had happened. The first shot came from the right front corner as the hole in the windshield shows. The other two were made from the side through the open window, both clearly aimed at her head. Here’s the breakdown as I see it:
- Good turned her vehicle to the right to (slowly) drive away. You can see that she did so from video of the SUV starting to move by looking at the angle of the tires and its actual movement. In addition video from the front taken by Ross’ cell phone shows her turning the wheel to the right. (Since, as he was drawing his gun with his right hand Ross kept his cell phone pointed/aimed at Good he could see this)
- Despite claims from DHS, Noem, Vance and conservatives Good didn’t “run over” the ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Some angles might make it seem like she might have ‘brushed’ him but his own cell phone video points down for an instant as he draws his gun – and you see pavement. Add that with the views from the back, where you can see Ross leaning FORWARD and no, she did NOT hit him.
- If Good’s vehicle got close to Ross it was because he LEANED IN. He didn’t take a step back which a person who will surely claim the “I was in fear for my life” defense would instinctively do even though he had time to do so. Good didn’t ‘stomp on the gas’ but rather moved slowly forward while turning right, as in away from Ross.
- Ross fired three shots. One from the front left corner of the vehicle and two from the side. The first shot, from the left front corner passed through the front window, then Good’s left arm and ended up hitting her chest at her right breast. According to the released report neither was immediately life threatening.
- Of shots two and three, fired from the side one entered her left temple and exited from the right side of her head. That was the fatal shot. The third was a ‘grazing’ wound to the head. We’ll never know for sure whether it was the second or third shot that was fatal.
Let’s look at that in more detail. Refer to the title picture as needed. In the video first shown, taken from behind Good’s vehicle Ross is mostly blocked from view as you see the first shot fired. However one of his legs is visible and a frame by frame or slow motion view as he comes fully into view shows him leaning forward! It’s unclear if at the time of the first shot he had his gun fully ‘up-on-target.’ However Ross leaning forwards as he did would have flattened the trajectory of his shot. Also, while I don’t know how tall Good was you can see she sat well down in the seat. From that windshield bullet hole had she not been turning/moving away from Ross the first bullet would have hit her in (or next to) the neck or head. You can see from the title picture Good’s head was at the level of the headrest of her seat.
I want to focus on this because it matters so much. Good’s LEFT forearm was struck first. Not her right as if say she realized she was about to be shot and raised it in defense as people thinking they are going to get shot might instinctively do. It was her LEFT arm and that matters a great deal. For her LEFT arm to be in front of the RIGHT side of her chest/torso indicates she was turning the wheel of her vehicle as she started to (try) drive away. More bluntly, as you can see in Ross’ own cell phone video (which he shouldn’t have been doing but that’s a different issue) she was turning her vehicle. To the RIGHT. Which is how her left arm was the one that was struck. Go ahead – pretend you are turning the wheel of your car hard to the right. Do it slowly. You’ll find your left forearm passing in front of the upper right of your chest.
This, along with Ross’ own video PROVES he could see her turning AWAY from him! However he wasn’t sure if he’d hit her with that first bullet or if it was enough to kill or at least incapacitate her so he kept shooting. From the side and at point blank range. The vehicle wasn’t moving very fast (even after Good was shot the third time and dying) so odds were Ross would shoot her in the head at least once.
Anyway, now you know the sequence of shots and how three shots resulted in four wounds. Given the angles Ross had good reason to think his first bullet had struck Good. Probably in the stomach or chest. Even if she drove off she wouldn’t get far. With a survivable wound she might have gotten herself to the nearest hospital, with ICE agents close behind. She wasn’t going to ‘escape’ and Ross damned well knew it.
BUT HE KEPT SHOOTING! I’ve tried to be clinical and stick to what I truly believe are the facts here but now I’m going to editorialize. Ross was worked up, probably because Good’s partner had given him some attitude on the passenger side of the car. He could hear his pals ordering her out of the car and probably wanted to get in some ‘beat down’ action dragging her out of it. That’s why he walked around the front AND did so at way, way too close a distance given the car was idling. Her turning the wheel and trying to drive off was more than enough excuse in his black heart and mind to draw and start shooting.
Like I said, Ross had to have been sure his first shot had struck Good. But he wanted her dead! Proving ‘intent’ in court is tough, but his words “F**king Bitch” before Good’s vehicle had crashed down the road a bit show his state of mind literally a few seconds after he killed Good. A good prosecutor can show him getting a bit of taunting, explain the sequence of shots, shot the video from the back (including over perhaps fifteen seconds that show Good exiting where she was parked and almost losing control on the snow/ice and stopping where she did), the show Ross’ own video. For example if I was prosecuting I’d say something like:
Note it was only a few seconds after shooting Ross said “F**king Bitch” and pause. Put up a still shot of Good’s vehicle slowly moving towards where it crashed side by side with one of that second or so of video of him saying “F**king Bith” another couple of times. Then say to the jury “it’s up to you to decide whether there was intent to use deadly force to inflict great bodily harm or even death but I believe the evidence just submitted demonstrates the Intent the judge will talk about when he/she gives jury instructions.”
Well, I hope all this provide you some clarity. It’s sickening to be sure but I truly believe people need to take a cold, hard look at the sequence of events.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
Denis, you’ve confused me: all Ross’s shots came from the LEFT Front and side of the car, but you’re describing them as coming from the “right front corner.”
You’re correct that I made a mistake. I kept editing and proofing and to my great shame didn’t double-check the part in question.
I started having flashbacks to those months over four decades ago when I was being turned from a civilian into a Marine, and Drill Instructors screaming (at all of us at one time or another) “Your OTHER left THING!!!!!” They’d sometimes actually slyly work to confuse individuals and sometimes the whole platoon to get mixed up so they could “correct” us! Out at Camp Pendleton I happened to encounter (separately) my Senior Drill Instructor and another Sgt. who I respected (and feared!) just as much and confirmed from them some of their techniques. How they’d go about tearing us down so they could rebuild us back up. I especially recall the look when I asked about how sometimes when someone said/did something REALLY stupid and their face got bright red they’d stomp off – if in the squadbay into the ‘duty hut’ which was the name for the DI’s inner sanctum. I asked if they were actually fighting not to break out laughing themselves and needed to get away from us so they could do so and maintain the illusion of “outrage.” Sure enough I was right. I was 26 and a college graduate who’s field of study was psychology and both of them allowed how much fun it was to talk about the whole thing with someone with my background.
Anyway, thanks for the catch. I’ve gone back and fixed it – for good this time I hope.