Renee Good shooting: Family sues ICE agent, top Trump officials over her death
The family of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis in January, has filed two civil lawsuits against the US government, the agent, and several Trump administration officials.According to CNN, the lawsuits were filed in Minnesota federal court on Thursday and allege wrongful death, excessive use of force, conspiracy and other violations. One suit names the US government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, while the second names ICE agent Jonathan Ross, several unnamed federal agents and officials including Stephen Miller, Tom Homan and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.Good was killed on January 7 during Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Her family alleges in the second lawsuit that the operation was a coordinated effort that interfered with the civil rights of people of Somali and Hispanic descent.The lawsuit against the US government seeks unspecified compensation for Good’s death and the suffering she allegedly endured before she was killed. It also seeks damages for her partner, Becca Good, who witnessed the shooting, according to the family’s attorneys.The second lawsuit accuses Ross and other officials of civil rights violations and alleges that the shooting was the “predictable and intended product” of the immigration operation. The family also alleges that officials failed to properly investigate Good’s death.Federal officials have previously said Ross acted in self-defence during the shooting. The Trump administration has rejected the family’s allegations. White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said the administration intends to “vigorously defend” the lawsuits, calling them baseless.Good was killed after she and Becca had dropped their 6-year-old son at school and encountered federal immigration officers on a Minneapolis street. Bystander video showed Good inside a red SUV as officers ordered her to get out of the vehicle before Ross opened fire.An analysis of video footage by AP and others found that Ross fired into the vehicle as it turned away from him, according to the news agency. Federal officials had said at the time that the agent acted in self-defence.Speaking at a news conference announcing the lawsuits, Becca Good said Renee was “the love of my life” and described the impact of her death on their children. She said the family was seeking accountability and changes to prevent another family from experiencing a similar loss.The lawsuits came months after Good’s death sparked protests and renewed scrutiny of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Another US citizen, Alex Pretti, was also fatally shot by an immigration officer in the city weeks later.
