One of world’s richest men donates $10k to ICE agent who fatally shot woman
Billionaire Bill Ackman has controversially donated thousands of dollars to a fundraiser organised in support of the ICE agent who fatally shot a mother-of-three.
The wealthy hedge fund manager confirmed that he is the 'top donator' on the GoFundMe which was set up to 'help' Jonathan Ross in wake of the incident which has rocked the US.
The shock shooting of Renee Good has received widespread condemnation and sparked mass protests across the country - but the Trump administration branded her a 'domestic terrorist'.
The unarmed 37-year-old was gunned down by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Ross in Minneapolis, Minnesota last Wednesday (7 January).
Advert
Officials have accused the late mum of 'weaponising' her car and attempting to run over officers as they carried out raids in her neighbourhood.
The Department of Homeland Security defended Ross' actions, saying that ICE agents are 'trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritise safety'.
Good's death has sparked mass debate about the conduct of ICE officers - although President Donald Trump branded her a 'professional agitator', while Vice President JD Vance has said that Ross would have 'absolute immunity' from any charges.
A GoFundMe was launched in support of the military veteran who fired the fatal shot, which has so far received thousands of donations. At the time of writing, it had racked up $346,729 of its $550,000 goal.
A large chunk of this comes from Ackman, who admitted that he was the 'William Ackman' who was listed as the top donator.
Speculation surrounding who was behind the $10,000 (£7,427) pledge to the GoFundMe erupted online on Sunday (11 January), before Ackman owned up to it.
The 59-year-old, who boasts a net worth of $9.3 billion according to Forbes, later shared a post to X explaining that he had also planned to offer some financial support to a fundraiser set up for Good.
Last Friday (9 January), the GoFundMe page for the mum was officially closed for further donations after a whopping $1,500,000 was raised. Ackman claimed that he missed the deadline to donate.
In the social media post, the CEO and founder of Pershing Square Capital Management said: "I am big believer in our legal principal that one is innocent until proven guilty.
"To that end, I supported the @gofundme for Jonathan Ross and intended to similarly support the gofundme for Renee Good’s family (her gofundme was closed by the time I attempted to provide support).
"The whole situation is a tragedy. An officer doing his best to do his job, and a protester who likely did not intend to kill the officer but whose actions in a split second led to her death.
"Our country is stronger if we work together to resolve the complex issues that are tearing us apart."
It is not the first time that Ackman has put his hand in his deep pockets in wake of a significant incident, as he recently donated $99,999 to a GoFundMe for Bondi Beach hero Ahmed al Ahmed.
In wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September last year, the billionaire also offered up $1 million as a reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible.
Ackman's latest charitable act has divided opinion online.
The organiser of the GoFundMe for Ross stated that they have attempted to make contact with the ICE agent in the hopes of making him the direct beneficiary of the funds that 'he deserves'.
They had previously stated that all donations would be refunded if they were unable to get in touch with Ross' family by 9 March.
Topics: US News, World News, Money, GoFundMe
Olivia Burke