'We Were All Robbed': Family of Renee Good Sues Federal Government

When Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis mother, was shot dead in the driver's seat of her SUV on January 7, she became a symbol of what critics see as immigration enforcement operating without restraint. Her family has now filed two federal lawsuits alleging wrongful death and excessive force, and her partner, Becca Good, has spoken publicly for the first time.

"She was pure love, and she was funny, and she was smart," Becca said. She described attending back-to-school night and preparing for Halloween without her. "We were all robbed."

Good's death came about a month after the Trump administration sent 3,000 immigration agents into the Twin Cities under Operation Metro Surge. The deployment followed right-wing influencers drawing attention to a state fraud scandal. To critics, this shows enforcement driven by political attention rather than public safety. The surge flooded a community with armed agents and sparked massive protests and pushback from state leaders.

Cellphone video shows Good turning her steering wheel away from ICE officer Jonathan Ross and starting to drive before shots rang out. In a video Ross recorded, a male voice can be heard using an expletive moments before the crash. Witnesses told NBC News that Ross did not appear to be in the SUV's direct path. That account undercuts official claims that Good tried to run him over.

Administration figures defended the shooting instead of questioning it. President Trump said Good's "actions were pretty tough," and the White House vowed to "vigorously defend" against the lawsuits. Her brother, Brent Ganger, called the killing "completely senseless," adding, "We have not forgotten."

The second lawsuit names Stephen Miller and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as well as Ross, which signals that the family sees the problem as systemic. Their attorney, Antonio Romanucci, condemned "the invasion of American cities by American law enforcement officers."

Good's case was not isolated. Weeks later, Customs and Border Protection agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, in the same city. Critics say two deaths in one operation point to a culture of escalation and little accountability.

"I think about how the kids are growing up without their mama," Becca Good said.

Link: NBC News