MINNEAPOLIS — The family of Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent in south Minneapolis in January, filed two federal civil lawsuits on Thursday, October 1, 2026, accusing the U.S. government and senior federal officials of wrongful death and a conspiracy to violate civil rights.
The lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota by Good's partner, Becca Good, and her brother, Brent Ganger, acting as trustee for her next of kin, according to the family's attorneys at the Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin.
The complaints are docketed as Case No. 0:26-cv-04230 (the wrongful-death suit against the United States) and Case No. 0:26-cv-04231 (the civil-rights conspiracy suit against Ross and the other named officials), according to copies of the filed complaints provided to NCN by the family's attorneys. The firm said it would respond separately about any press availability.
One lawsuit names the United States of America as the sole defendant under the Federal Tort Claims Act. It asserts wrongful death under Minnesota law, predicated on claims of battery, assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence that caused Good's death, according to the family's attorneys. That case would be decided in a bench trial before a judge.
The second lawsuit alleges a conspiracy to interfere with civil rights under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, along with an excessive-force claim and state-law claims. It names ICE agent Jonathan Ross — the officer who shot Good — as well as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House border czar Tom Homan, former Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, Corey Lewandowski, ICE official Todd Lyons, and ten unnamed federal agents, according to the family's attorneys. That case seeks a trial by jury.
The family is represented by Romanucci & Blandin founding partner Antonio Romanucci, partners Daisy Ayllón and Sarah Raisch, and senior attorneys Benjamin Berkman and Stephen Weil, along with Minneapolis co-counsel Kevin Riach of Riach Law. The firm previously represented the family of George Floyd in a landmark civil rights case against the city of Minneapolis.
Good was shot on the morning of January 7, 2026, on Portland Avenue in south Minneapolis during the Department of Homeland Security's Operation Metro Surge immigration enforcement surge. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner classified her death as a homicide. The facts of the shooting itself remain contested: federal authorities have described the shooting as justified, while the family's attorneys say evidence shows Ross violated his own department's use-of-force policies.
According to the family's account laid out in their attorneys' press release, Good and Becca Good had just dropped their son off at school and were driving home when Good stopped their SUV on Portland Avenue and honked her horn to alert neighbors to the presence of federal agents. Becca Good got out and began filming; Renee Good stayed behind the wheel. The release says Ross approached on foot, already recording with his cell phone, and fired three rounds — one through the windshield and two through the open driver's-side window — striking Good in the head. The family's attorneys say no agent was in the vehicle's path when the shots were fired, that no agent rendered medical aid, and that a bystander who identified himself as a physician was not permitted to help. Good was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center at 10:30 a.m., according to the release. NCN has not independently verified these details, which come from the family's filings and statements.
"Unquestionably, unequivocally, neither Renee nor Becca was the worst of the worst. They were exactly as their name says – Good folks. No one was armed," Romanucci said in the firm's statement. "Today, these lawsuits are the beginning of the ultimate legal weapon in uncovering the truth behind this unlawful use of deadly force."
"We seek accountability for the unconscionable and unconstitutional use of force by a federal agent that killed Renee on January 7th," Berkman said in the statement. "But we also seek accountability for the discriminatory and violent operation that placed Jonathan Ross on Portland Avenue that day."
Brent Ganger, Good's brother, said in the statement: "I stand here with fierce determination to do what is right for my sister, for her children, and for our country — and that is to insist on accountability."
Becca Good said: "What happened to us should never happen to any family. No child should grow up without a parent because of it."
CNN reported Thursday that it had reached out to the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and phone numbers listed for Noem for comment. NCN has also asked the family's attorneys about any planned press availability.
The lawsuits were reported Thursday by CNN, the Associated Press, NBC, ABC, the Star Tribune, and CBS Minnesota.
This is a developing story. NCN will update it as responses from the named officials and further court details become available.
- National Correspondent Network
