Renee Good’s family hired the Chicago law firm Romanucci & Blandin to investigate Good’s death after an encounter with federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, according to a statement released Wednesday.
In the statement, Good’s loved ones accused federal immigration officers of killing the Minneapolis mother of three as she tried to follow agents’ instructions. The family said it wants Good, 37, remembered as “an agent of peace” and urged the public not to use her death as a political flashpoint, according to the Chicago-based firm.
Romanucci & Blandin said it is investigating Good’s death and will release information in the coming weeks. The firm said the family wants answers about what federal officers were doing on Jan. 7 in the neighborhood where Good was killed, as well as officers’ actions during the encounter and delays in medical aid after the shooting.
The family’s decision to hire the firm came during the same week the U.S. Justice Department said it sees no basis to open a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting. An FBI probe of Renee Good’s death is ongoing, AP reported.
The federal government has defended the ICE officer’s actions, saying he fired in self-defense while standing in front of Good’s vehicle as it began to move forward. The explanation has been panned by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, with both pointing to videos of the confrontation, AP reported.
Romanucci & Blandin identified the ICE agent who fired as Jonathan Ross, described as an Iraq War veteran who has served as a deportation officer since 2015. The firm also said the family wants clarity about what led up to the shooting and what followed afterward.
AP reported that on Jan. 7, the couple had dropped off their 6-year-old child at school and then stopped to observe law enforcement activity. Video described by AP showed a red SUV driven by Renee Good, positioned perpendicular and blocking part of the road, with Good repeatedly pressing the horn.
AP reported that shortly afterward, a truck carrying immigration officers pulled up. Two officers got out, and one ordered Renee Good to open her door. AP reported that she reversed briefly and then turned the steering wheel toward the passenger side as the officer again said, “get out of the car.”
AP reported that Becca Good, standing on the passenger side and trying to open the door, shouted, “drive, baby, drive!” The SUV then pulled forward, and AP reported that gunshots were heard as an officer in front of the vehicle opened fire.
The firm said, “What happened to Renee is wrong,” adding that it intends to share its findings “on a rolling basis” because it believes the community is not receiving adequate information elsewhere. Romanucci & Blandin, which helped secure a $27 million settlement for George Floyd’s family, is now representing Becca Good as well as Renee Good’s parents and siblings.
Becca Good released a statement to Minnesota Public Radio on Friday saying, “ We had whistles. They had guns.” AP reported that Becca Good and her family have not responded to calls and messages from The Associated Press.
The law firm said Renee and Becca were “not legally married but were committed partners dedicated to their family.”