On Thursday (January 8), Kyle Rittenhouse, a self-proclaimed firearm advocate, reacted to the Minneapolis slaying incident involving one woman and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with a viral X post that has garnered more than 13.4 million views.
He first made headlines in August 2020 after fatally wounding two men and injuring a third at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Highlights
- Kyle Rittenhouse faced online backlash after mocking the Minneapolis ICE slaying of Renée Good in a viral X post.
- Netizens slammed his comments as distasteful, accusing him of politicizing and mocking a tragic event.
- Misinformation around the incident further fueled online division, with sources initially misidentifying the victim and the responsible officer.
Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of homicide charges in 2021, made a comment that was interpreted as him stating that US citizen Renée Good deserved to be slain.
He also offered to travel to Minneapolis, evoking his own controversial past with crossing state lines.
Kyle Rittenhouse mocked Renée Good’s demise and joked about crossing state borders
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
On January 7, Renée Good lost her life during an ongoing ICE operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 37-year-old mother of three was in her car when two agents approached her. As she began to leave the scene, one agent fired at her.
Image credits: FOX 61
Following the incident, online commentators have debated whether Good had attempted to run over the agent and if he had acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse jumped into the conversation, initially tweeting:
“FAFO- don't try and hit an ICE agent with your vehicle, and you won't end up in the forever box. It's pretty simple.”
Image credits: rittenhouse2a
Image credits: NBC Chicago
In a follow-up tweet, the 23-year-old referenced his trip from Antioch, Illinois, to Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020, to protect local businesses amidst protests following the demise of Jacob Blake, leading to an incident where he fatally harmed two men with a firearm.
“After thinking about it, should I travel across the state line to Minnesota?” he wrote.
Netizens blasted Kyle Rittenhouse for his reaction to Renée Good’s demise
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Rittenhouse’s comments received plenty of backlash on social media, with netizens finding them inappropriate and distasteful. Many felt that Rittenhouse was mocking the tragic incident and hurled insults at him.
Image credits: Jennyjinx
Image credits: CBS News
“Burn in hell, you godless, murderous, piece of human garbage,” one person wrote.
Another netizen said, “You should shut the f*ck up and mind your business, you’ve done enough.”
“Someone was m**dered, you f*cking a**hole. There is nothing to laugh about. You truly are evil, and I can’t wait for karma to catch up,” a third individual commented.
Image credits: Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/Getty Images
Users also mocked him by resharing screenshots from Rittenhouse’s 2021 trial, accusing him of “fake crying” during his court appearance.
Others felt that the 23-year-old, who returned to social media in December after inexplicably deleting his accounts in June 2025, was simply milking the incident to gain online attention.
Image credits: CurryHicksSage
Rittenhouse responded to the backlash with another tweet, stating, “I forgot how easy it is to bait the media into writing r*tarded stories about me. The media is fake and gay.”
One user fired back at him, stating, “Kyle really thinks he’s playing 4D chess, but 'baiting' the media into reporting on things you actually said is just called ‘providing a quote.’”
False information and rumors regarding Renée Good’s slaying have been debunked
Image credits: EmmaScott
Following the incident, footage and images of Good’s brief interaction with the officers quickly spread online, leaving netizens to formulate their own take on the matter. AI-generated images spread false information about the identities of those involved.
The officer who fatally wounded the victim was initially misidentified as Steve Grove. Additionally, a man with a Nazi tattoo on his neck was also falsely identified as the shooter, further fueling the outrage over the incident.
Image credits: Donna Ganger/Facebook
However, these claims regarding the slaying have since been debunked, and the officer actually responsible was reportedly Jonathan Ross.
While Federal officials have not named the officer, reports corroborated by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that Ross, who had previously been dragged and injured by a vehicle in a separate incident in June 2025, was the shooter.
Image credits: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
The victim was also incorrectly identified in some photos as wrestling announcer Renee Paquette, the wife of wrestler Jonathan Good.
A video of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis allegedly defending Good also spread online.
However, the footage depicting DeSantis speaking about residents protecting themselves amidst protests over the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles in June 2025 was taken out of context.
"I hope it gets worse": Neitzens shared scathing reactions to Kyle Rittenhouse's comments
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