The family of Renee Good filed two federal lawsuits on Thursday against the Trump administration and the immigration officer who fatally shot her during a January enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
The complaints accused federal officials of wrongful death and civil rights violations stemming from the Jan. 7 encounter, which was captured on cellphone video. The family is seeking damages and a jury trial.
One lawsuit seeks to hold the United States liable under the Federal Tort Claims Act for the conduct of federal agents. It alleges wrongful death, battery, assault, false imprisonment, emotional distress, and negligence.
The second lawsuit names Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross, who fired the shots, along with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Good’s family accused the officials of violating her constitutional rights through excessive force.
Good, 37, was in the driver’s seat of a car blocking the road where ICE officers were working when officers ordered her to leave the vehicle. Ross, who had moved near the front left side of the SUV, shouted “Whoa!” and fired three times after Good put the car in reverse, striking Good in the head, arm, and torso.
Trump administration officials defended Ross and said Good had tried to run him over. Witnesses said Ross did not appear to be directly in the SUV’s path. The Department of Homeland Security has maintained that the shooting was a justified use of force in a dangerous situation. Ross has not publicly discussed the shooting and has not been charged with any crime.
The encounter occurred during Operation Metro Surge, which sent about 3,000 federal immigration officers to the Twin Cities as part of President Donald Trump’s deportation push. The deployment prompted protests and resistance from Minnesota officials before it ended in February.
Good’s killing intensified scrutiny of the operation. An immigration officer wounded Venezuelan delivery driver Julio Sosa-Celis days later, and Customs and Border Protection officers fatally shot Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen, later that month.
The Justice Department declined to investigate the agents involved in Good’s killing, a decision that prompted at least six federal prosecutors in Minneapolis to resign. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is investigating the deaths of Good and Pretti for violations of Minnesota law, but local officials say the DOJ’s refusal to share evidence has slowed the work.
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Minnesota has sued the administration to obtain evidence collected at the shooting scenes.
The Washington Examiner contacted DHS and the DOJ for comment.