The fatal shooting of Renee Macklin Good

Renee Good's family files civil lawsuits against U.S., federal agents

A photograph of a woman
Ice crystals cover a printed photograph of Renee Good at the site where she was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 9.
Ben Hovland | MPR News

Quick Read

Renee Good was shot and killed inside her vehicle by a federal immigration agent on Jan. 7 in south Minneapolis. Her family and wife are now suing the United States, the agent and federal officials.

The family of Renee Good has filed two civil lawsuits in the wake of her killing by a federal agent during Operation Metro Surge.

The lawsuits are against the United States, individual federal agents and officials for the January shooting and death of Good. The lawsuits name Jonathan Ross — the agent who fatally shot Good — as well as current and former Trump administration officials, including Greg Bovino, Kristi Noem, Tom Homan and Stephen Miller.

The law firms Romanucci & Blandin, LLC and Riach Law are representing Good’s family.

Good was shot and killed inside her vehicle on the morning of Jan. 7 in south Minneapolis, near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue.

Federal authorities quickly called the shooting justified, saying 37-year-old Good tried to run down ICE agents with her vehicle and that the agent — later identified as Jonathan Ross — fired to protect his life and the lives of other officers.

Bystander video, however, contradicted that narrative. Eyewitnesses said agents gave Good conflicting orders about whether to stay or go, and that she appeared to just want to leave the scene.

A neighborhood resident and witness to the shooting told MPR News that Good “posed absolutely no threat to any of these agents.”

Vigils for Good popped up across Minnesota that evening as the state found itself at the center of a national debate on immigration enforcement.

Two and a half weeks later, federal agents in Minneapolis shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 near 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Pretti was armed with a handgun, that a struggle ensued as agents tried to subdue him and that an agent “fired defensive shots.” But video and eyewitness testimony again disputed federal officials’ account.

This is a developing story. More reporting to come.

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