Renee Good's Family Sues U.S. Government, Top Officials Over Her Killing
The family of Renee Good, the Minneapolis mother of three who was shot and killed by an immigration officer in January, has sued the U.S. government and several of the Trump administration's top immigration officials over her death.
Two lawsuits were filed Thursday, October 1, in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota by Good's partner, Becca Good, and her brother, Brent Ganger, who is acting on behalf of her next of kin, including her three children, her parents and her siblings.
What the Lawsuits Claim
The first lawsuit targets the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act. It accuses the government of wrongful death based on battery, assault, false imprisonment, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It seeks damages for Good's suffering in her final moments, for her family's losses and for the emotional distress suffered by Becca Good, who witnessed the shooting. That case would be decided by a judge.
The second lawsuit asks for a jury trial and names individual defendants. They include Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fired the shots, along with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, border czar Tom Homan, former acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, former Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, Noem adviser Corey Lewandowski and 10 unnamed federal agents.
That suit accuses the officials of conspiring to violate civil rights. It alleges that the federal enforcement push known as Operation Metro Surge was a coordinated campaign that targeted Minnesotans of Somali and Hispanic origin and intimidated residents who tried to document the raids, according to PBS News. It also accuses Ross of using excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What Happened on January 7
Good, 37, was a U.S. citizen who had recently moved to Minneapolis from Kansas City, Missouri. On the morning of January 7, she and Becca Good had just dropped their son off at school when they came upon an immigration enforcement operation in south Minneapolis.
According to the complaint, Good stopped her SUV on Portland Avenue and honked her horn to alert neighbors, while Becca Good got out and began filming. Bystander video shows that when officers ordered her out of the vehicle, Good reversed and then turned her steering wheel away from Ross. He fired three times, once through the windshield and twice through the open driver's side window.
The lawsuit alleges that no agent was in the vehicle's path when the shots were fired, that no agent gave her medical aid and that a physician who was nearby was not allowed to help. Good was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Federal officials have said the officer acted in self-defense. Noem called Good a "domestic terrorist" after the shooting. Noem was later removed as DHS Secretary in March.
The Family Speaks Out
"She was pure love. She was funny. She was smart. She was the center of my universe," Becca Good said, according to ABC7.
In a statement released by the family's attorneys, she added, "Accountability, real accountability, is the only way to make sure that no other family has to go through what we have."
Ganger said what happened to his sister "is not what America is about."
Attorney Antonio Romanucci, whose Chicago firm Romanucci & Blandin is representing the family, said neither Renee nor Becca was "the worst of the worst," and called the lawsuits "the ultimate legal weapon in uncovering the truth behind this unlawful use of deadly force," according to the firm's announcement.
No Criminal Charges So Far
Ross has not been charged with a crime in state or federal court. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office and the Minnesota Attorney General's Office have been investigating the shooting.
The Minneapolis ICE shooting became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration enforcement. It drew sharp reactions from public figures, including "Jeopardy!" host Ken Jennings, and protests across the city.
Less than three weeks later, another Minneapolis resident, ICU nurse Alex Pretti, was shot and killed by federal agents. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration officers during President Trump's second term.
"Renee was not the first person killed, and she was not the last," Becca Good said.
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