The family of Renee Good, who was killed by ICE in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 7, has hired Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin to conduct their own investigation of the fatal shooting.
"People in Minneapolis and across this country truly, truly care about what happened to Renee Good on January 7, 2026, and are committed to understanding how she could have been killed on the street after dropping her child off at school. They want to know what could and should have been done to let Renee live and pick her child up safely from school that afternoon," Antonio M. Romanucci, Founding Partner of Romanucci & Blandin, said in a statement shared with Newsweek.
Romanucci, a civil rights lawyer, was part of the legal team that represented relatives of George Floyd after he was killed by a police officer in Minnesota in 2020. Floyd's death sparked nationwide protests and was a key driver behind support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Why It Matters
The civil investigation comes as the Trump administration has sought to investigate Good's alleged ties to organized anti-ICE groups and denied the need for a civil rights investigation relating to ICE agent Jonathan Ross' use of force a week ago. Leaders in Minnesota and Minneapolis have said local agencies have been frozen out of federal investigations, while not ruling out their own probes into the events leading up to and surrounding Good's death.
What To Know
Leading the announcement from Good's family and attorneys on Wednesday was a call for peace across Minneapolis and elsewhere, amid growing distrust and upset over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) actions, which the family said were defying constitutional values.
The attorneys promised to seek accountability for Good's death, stating they felt there was not enough transparency around the case. They also said they were seeking a kinder, more civil America in the wake of the shooting.
The Trump administration has firmly stood by ICE agent Jonathan Ross' actions, saying he was acting in self-defense and the defense of his fellow agents when he fired his gun at Good's windshield and through her driver-side window, shooting her in the head. Officials have said she had weaponized her vehicle with the aim of running agents over.
That argument has divided opinion, with some analysts saying Ross was not in the vehicle's path when he fired his gun. Regardless, the calls for a formal investigation into the use of force have gone unanswered.
On Tuesday, top federal prosecutors in Minnesota, some of whom had led the investigation into alleged fraud in the state linked to Somali Americans, resigned over reported pressure from the Department of Justice to investigate Good's widow instead.
What People Are Saying
Antonio M. Romanucci, Founding Partner of Romanucci & Blandin, in a statement shared with Newsweek: "As often as possible, our team will promptly and transparently provide updates on what we learn. We are committed to providing Good transparency and Good accountability, which we ultimately hope leads to Good policing. We will be that voice."
Renee Good's parents, Tim and Donna Ganger, and her four siblings, said in an earlier statement shared with Newsweek: "We want to thank everyone who has reached out in support of Renee and our family. The kind of unending care we’ve been given during this time is exactly the kind that she gave to everyone. Nae was the beautiful light of our family and brought joy to anyone she met. She was relentlessly hopeful and optimistic which was contagious. We all already miss her more than words could ever express."
Minnesota Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, at a news conference Wednesday: "ICE’s reckless actions have taken a mother from three children, a partner from her wife, and inflicted unfathomable pain on our community. My deepest condolences go out to Renee’s family, friends, and everyone who loved her. We will not stop fighting until we achieve real justice and accountability. That must begin with impeaching Kristi Noem and ensuring no federal agent can act as judge, jury, and executioner on our streets. It must also include a full, transparent investigation and legal action against ICE."
Vice President JD Vance, during a news conference at the White House on Thursday: "You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, in a New York Times opinion article: "On Wednesday, when I learned that a Minneapolis resident had been shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, I didn’t feel the shock in my gut that I felt over five years ago. Nothing about this was shocking. The chaos that ICE and the Trump administration have brought to Minneapolis made this tragedy sadly predictable."
What Happens Next
ICE and CBP are likely to continue to come under scrutiny over Good's death. Meanwhile, the state and the Twin Cities are suing the Trump administration to get federal agents out of the region.
Update 1/14/26, 3:26 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 1/14/26, 5:04 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Representative Ilhan Omar.
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