Summary
Daily Beast reporting citing its sister investigation outlet PunchUp (Tom Latchem), published April 28, 2026, based on senior DHS official sources. Confirms Jonathan Ross was placed on administrative leave for only three days, then quietly moved to another state to perform administrative and investigative duties. Documents a direct contradiction between DOJ’s public claim (ICE OPR running parallel review) and what senior DHS officials say is actually happening (OPR cannot start until FBI closes the case, and FBI has not closed). Also documents Todd Lyons refusing to apologize at House subcommittee hearing, then announcing his resignation hours later.
Key Points
- Ross placed on admin leave for three days only, then moved to another state; performing “administrative and investigative duties” approximately three months after shooting Good
- On Ross’s own cellphone video, he can be heard muttering “f---ing b---h” as Good’s Honda Pilot crashed into a parked car with her dying inside
- DOJ told Fox News Digital that ICE OPR was “running its own internal review parallel to the FBI investigation, ‘as with any officer-involved shooting’” — senior DHS officials told PunchUp this is false: ICE internal affairs cannot begin its administrative review until the FBI probe concludes; the FBI probe has not concluded
- Senior ICE official quote on FBI pace: “It’s just hanging out there” and they need to “s—t or get off the pot”
- The accountability freeze is structural: FBI not closing → OPR can’t start → Ross faces no formal accountability process from either agency
- White House directed the freeze-out of Minnesota state investigators from federal evidence and crime scene; career officials believed joint federal-state review was standard practice and were never consulted
- “We let some states in and not others,” a top DHS official said of the evidence-sharing decision. “It makes us look like idiots.”
- Todd Lyons, at a House subcommittee hearing, was asked directly whether he would apologize to Good’s family; replied: “I welcome the opportunity to speak to the family in private, but I’m not going to comment on any active investigation”; his resignation was announced hours later, effective May 31
- Noem was replaced as DHS Secretary by Markwayne Mullin (48) after the political fallout from the two killings
- DHS spokesperson statement to Daily Beast: incident “remains under investigation”; “All shootings are initially reviewed by an appropriate law enforcement agency. Following a review of the incident by the appropriate investigative agency, ICE and CBP conduct an independent review of the critical incident”
- DOJ spokesperson to Daily Beast: “an ongoing investigation into the event by DHS-OIG” and that FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office are “providing physical evidence and support” to assist; declined to comment on investigation status
Newsletter Angles
- The DOJ-to-Fox-News vs. DHS-official reality gap is the cleanest documented lie in the case so far: the government’s press office claims one thing; the government’s own senior officials tell a different outlet the opposite
- “Three days” admin leave as documented fact is striking against the DHS directive’s own requirement for extended leave pending proceedings
- The “s—t or get off the pot” quote from a senior ICE official captures internal frustration at FBI’s paralysis — the accountability freeze is damaging ICE’s ability to speak publicly and rebuild credibility, as well as blocking formal review of Ross
- The Lyons sequence (refused to apologize → resigned hours later) documents the precise moment accountability theater collapsed
Entities Mentioned
- Jonathan Ross — three-day admin leave; “f---ing b---h” cellphone audio; currently on active duty in another state
- Todd Lyons — refused to apologize at House hearing; resigned effective May 31
- Kristi Noem — replaced by Markwayne Mullin after killings
- Tracee Mergen — pressured to reclassify civil rights inquiry; resigned
- Kash Patel — directed reframing of Ross investigation via whistleblower accounts
- Renée Good — the killing; cellphone audio detail
- Alex Pretti — killed January 24 by Border Patrol during the same operation
- Operation Metro Surge — operational context
Quotes
“It’s just hanging out there.” — senior ICE official on FBI probe
“s—t or get off the pot” — senior ICE official on FBI’s pace
“I welcome the opportunity to speak to the family in private, but I’m not going to comment on any active investigation.” — Todd Lyons, House subcommittee hearing
“We let some states in and not others. It makes us look like idiots.” — top DHS official on evidence-sharing decisions
Notes
PunchUp is described as the Daily Beast’s “new sister investigations outlet — launched earlier this month by this correspondent.” The DOJ contradiction (claiming OPR parallel review is running vs. DHS officials saying it can’t start) is the clearest documented factual conflict in the case to date. The “f---ing b---h” cellphone audio detail is attributed to Ross’s own device recording and is cited in the PunchUp original (linked in article). DHS spokesperson’s statement explicitly says ICE and CBP “conduct an independent review” — this directly contradicts what senior DHS officials told PunchUp about OPR being blocked.