Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Nine months after Renee Good was shot and killed in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, her family has filed two federal lawsuits against the Trump administration, accusing senior officials of negligence, conspiracy, and violating her civil rights. The lawsuits, filed on Thursday, October 1, 2026, in the U.S. District Court in Minnesota, were brought by Good's brother, Brent Ganger, and her partner, Rebecca Good, who witnessed the shooting. They represent one of the first major civil actions against the Trump administration over Operation Metro Surge, the unprecedented deportation operation that deployed thousands of immigration agents to Minnesota last winter.
Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot three times on the morning of January 7, 2026, as she sat in the driver's seat of her Honda Pilot. She had just dropped her six-year-old son at school and was returning home when she encountered federal immigration agents on Portland Avenue in south Minneapolis. Video of the shooting, which was viewed millions of times, shows ICE officer Jonathan Ross approaching her car, which was parked to partly block the road. Ross circled the vehicle on foot, recording on his mobile phone. In her last words, Good can be heard saying to him, "That's fine, dude, I'm not mad at you." Moments later, another agent approached and told her to get out. She reversed briefly, then put the car into forward gear and turned the steering wheel to her right, apparently trying to drive away. As the car moved forward, Ross shouted "Whoa!" and fired three rounds through her window, striking her in the head, arm, and torso. She was pronounced dead shortly afterwards at Hennepin County Medical Center. According to the family's complaint, Ross was never at risk of being run over, and no agent rendered aid in the moments after the shooting. An ICE agent allegedly turned away a bystander who identified himself as a physician.
The first lawsuit targets the United States government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, seeking to hold it liable for the actions of federal agents. It alleges wrongful death, battery, assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. The complaint states that Good was not the target of any investigation, had no criminal history, and had committed no act of violence. It further alleges that Ross moved out of the SUV's path before leaning toward it, drawing his gun, and firing. Good's partner, Becca, had stepped out of the vehicle to record the agents on her cellphone and was standing nearby when the shots were fired.
The second lawsuit targets ICE officer Jonathan Ross directly, along with several senior Trump administration officials, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and former Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. It alleges a conspiracy to interfere with civil rights, invoking the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act, and accuses the defendants of creating what the family's lawyer, Antonio Romanucci, described as "an unprecedented environment for state-sponsored violence." The lawsuit also alleges that the operation deliberately targeted Somali and Hispanic communities and sought to intimidate people who protested or monitored federal agents. "Our government has become a grave and mortal threat to its own citizens," Romanucci said at a press conference on Thursday.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the shooting, Becca Good described the devastation the family has endured. "The whole world had to watch as our entire universe was destroyed," she said, becoming emotional as she spoke about attending back-to-school night and preparing to celebrate Halloween with their children alone. "She was pure love, and she was funny, and she was smart, and she was gorgeous. Every single one of these moments for all of her babies and for everyone up here was a monumental moment, and she should be here for all of them. We were all robbed." Ganger said his sister's death was "completely senseless." "We file these two lawsuits today to put officials on notice that we have not forgotten," he said.
The White House has dismissed the lawsuits as "baseless" and vowed to defend them "vigorously." Spokeswoman Lauren Bis also shared a statement from President Donald Trump, who said Good's "actions were pretty tough" and claimed that "there are a couple versions of that tape that are very very bad." The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has defended Ross's conduct as a justified use of force in a dangerous situation. Shortly after the shooting, senior administration officials branded Good a "domestic terrorist," and the Department of Justice blocked its federal prosecutors in Minneapolis from investigating the agents involved, prompting at least half a dozen prosecutors to resign in protest. None of the agents involved have faced any charges. A Hennepin County investigation has been slowed because the Justice Department withdrew its usual cooperation and evidence-sharing with local law enforcement. Minnesota has sued the Trump administration to gain access to the evidence gathered at the shooting scenes.
The lawsuits are among the first major civil actions against the Trump administration over Operation Metro Surge, which deployed roughly 3,000 immigration agents to the Twin Cities. The operation triggered massive protests and significant pushback from state leaders. Days after Good's death, an ICE agent shot and wounded Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan delivery driver, in the leg. Two weeks later, agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, an American nurse working for the Department of Veterans Affairs. At least 10 people have been killed in encounters with immigration officers during Trump's second term, according to the Associated Press. Good's killing, captured on widely viewed video, became a flashpoint in the national debate over the administration's immigration enforcement tactics. It sparked protests that intensified after Pretti's death, and weeks later, hundreds of federal agents were withdrawn from the city, and the official in charge of the operation, Greg Bovino, was removed from his post.
For Good's family, the lawsuits are not just about damages. They are about accountability. "Since her death no meaningful change has occurred," Ganger said. "Our family is waiting and we will wait no longer." The case now moves through the federal courts, where the Trump administration will have the opportunity to present its defence. For the family of Renee Good, the fight for justice is just beginning.
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