Renee Good Family Files Two Lawsuits Over Fatal ICE Shooting in Minneapolis

The family of Renee Good, the Minnesota woman fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, has filed two civil lawsuits seeking accountability over her death.

The lawsuits were filed Thursday in federal court in Minnesota and name the United States government, ICE agent Jonathan Ross and several senior Trump administration officials as defendants.

One of the cases names the United States as the sole defendant under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows claims against the federal government over certain injuries, property damage and deaths allegedly caused by negligent conduct by federal employees acting within the scope of their duties.

The second lawsuit alleges, among other claims, a conspiracy to interfere with civil rights involving federal officials, immigration enforcement agents and private actors. The defendants named include Ross, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House border czar Tom Homan, along with other federal agents identified as John Does.

Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was killed on January 7 during the federal immigration enforcement operation known as Operation Metro Surge. Her death triggered protests in Minneapolis and became a national flashpoint over the conduct of immigration enforcement agents.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain disputed. The Department of Homeland Security said Ross fired after Good attempted to use her vehicle to run over an officer, describing the shooting as defensive. Reuters reported that video footage reviewed from the scene raised questions about aspects of that account.

Video from Ross’s cellphone and footage recorded by bystanders captured the moments leading up to the shooting. Good had stopped her SUV across a residential Minneapolis street before Ross approached the vehicle. Three gunshots were heard after the vehicle began moving forward.

The lawsuits come as the search for answers in Good’s death continues. In March, Minnesota officials sued the federal government for access to evidence related to the shootings of Good and Alex Pretti, another Minnesota resident killed by federal immigration agents.

In July, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said federal authorities had turned over a large volume of evidence relating to both cases. No charges had been filed in connection with Good’s death as of the latest reports.