Renee Good’s family has filed two federal civil lawsuits alleging wrongful death and excessive force nine months after an immigration officer fatally shot the mom of three in Minneapolis.
According to court documents obtained by Us on Thursday, October 1, Good’s family claims ICE agents violated the Fourth Amendment and mandatory policies within the Department of Homeland Security.
“Renee was not the target of any law enforcement investigation. She had no criminal history,” the lawsuit alleges. “ICE agents are not empowered to enforce Minnesota traffic laws. No agent at the scene possessed any evidence or information that Renee had engaged in any unlawful obstructive conduct.”
The lawsuit seeks to hold the United States liable under the Federal Tort Claims Act for the actions of federal agents. It alleges wrongful death, battery, assault, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
Us has reached out to the White House for comment.
Good, 37, was fatally shot in the driver’s seat of her SUV during a January 7 encounter with ICE officer Jonathan Ross, where she and her partner had been joining one of the city’s daily protests.
The killing occurred about a month after President Donald Trump’s administration deployed 3,000 immigration agents to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis in what officials have dubbed Operation Metro Surge.
“I stand here with fierce determination to do what is right for my sister, for her children, and for our country — and that is to insist on accountability,” Good’s brother, Brent Ganger, said in a statement via NBC News. “What happened to her on January 7th and what has happened to far too many people in the last year is not what America is about. We can and must do better, and the Constitution must be the roadmap back to decency and the rule of law.”
In a second lawsuit obtained by Us on Thursday, Ganger and Renee’s partner, Rebecca Good, name Ross as well as several federal officials, including former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Renee’s family accuses officials of “targeting” the civil rights of Somali and Hispanic people through the immigration sweeps.
The docs claim that Rebecca has suffered severe emotional distress in the wake of Renee’s death. Furthermore, she mentioned being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after the grim discovery of finding “her partner bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head.”
“The complaints explain how the Administration created an environment during Operation Metro Surge in which federal agents believed they would be immune from consequences for violating those rules. There is no such immunity,” Good’s family attorney Antonio Romanucci said in a statement. “Renee’s death was not an accident. It was the predictable result of a coordinated campaign by senior officials in this administration to target Minnesotans of Somali or Hispanic origin and silence anyone who dared to raise their voice in protest.”
Trump, 80, and Noem, 54, previously defended Ross’ actions and claimed Renee was an agitator who tried to run over the officer with her vehicle.
The shooting, which was captured on cellphone video, triggered massive protests throughout the country and significant pushback from state leaders.
