ICE Shooter's Face Was Everywhere Online, but AI Altered Many Images

After an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis, social media users circulated images claiming to show an unmasked agent that were later found to be AI-altered; multiple outlets subsequently identified the agent as Jonathan Ross.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, and people online tried to identify the agent. Social media videos did not show agents with their masks off, but many still images claiming to show an unmasked face circulated. Reporting found that numerous images were altered or generated by artificial intelligence, producing different-looking faces within hours. Multiple news outlets later identified the agent as Jonathan Ross. Key points: - An ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good, and social media users sought to identify the agent in the hours after the incident. - Original eyewitness videos did not show the agent's bare face, while many circulated images were produced or altered by AI tools. - Experts quoted in the reporting said AI enhancement and reconstruction tools can "hallucinate" facial details and are unreliable when parts of a face are obscured. - Verification teams at outlets including Bellingcat and The New York Times reviewed footage, and the Star Tribune issued a statement denying affiliation between the shooter and the paper. Summary: The rapid spread of AI-altered images complicated early identification efforts and led to misattribution on social media. News organizations carried out verification and multiple outlets reported the agent as Jonathan Ross. Undetermined at this time.