On January 7, 2026, Renee Good was fatally sh0t by ICE agent Jonathan Ross during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Now, her partner Becca Good and her brother Brent Ganger have taken the U.S. government to federal court — filing two separate civil lawsuits that name not just the agent who pulled the trigger, but high-ranking officials including Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, and Tom Homan.
Two Lawsuits, One Demand: Who the Family Is Holding Responsible
The first suit, filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, targets the U.S. government directly. Becca Good and Brent Ganger are alleging wrongful death under Minnesota law — with claims rooted in battery, assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. In plain terms: they argue the government, as an institution, bears responsibility for what happened to Renee that morning.
The second lawsuit goes further and gets more specific. It names ICE agent Jonathan Ross — the officer who fired the fatal shot — alongside White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, political operative Corey Lewandowski, Border Czar Tom Homan, former ICE Director Todd Lyons, former Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, and ten unnamed federal agents. The allegations are serious: a conspiracy to violate civil rights, unlawful excessive force, and constitutional violations tied directly to how immigration enforcement was being conducted in Minneapolis. This isn’t just about one agent’s decision in one moment — the family’s legal team is arguing the conditions that led to Renee’s death were built from the top down. Much like other federal civil rights cases that have followed controversial enforcement actions, lawsuits targeting ICE policy and political leadership represent a shift from mourning to legal reckoning.
The breadth of the defendant list is notable. Naming Miller and Noem alongside the agent who fired the gun signals that the family’s attorneys are pursuing a conspiracy theory of liability — the argument that the culture, the orders, and the pressure flowing from those officials created the context in which Renee Good d13d.
What Happens Next in Federal Court
The Department of Justice will almost certainly move to dismiss both cases. On the civil rights lawsuit against individual officials, expect arguments centered on qualified immunity — a legal doctrine that shields federal employees from personal liability unless they violated a “clearly established” constitutional right. It’s a high bar, and it has historically protected officers even in cases with serious harm. The government will also raise sovereign immunity defenses on the FTCA claim, arguing that certain federal agency decisions are categorically exempt from tort liability.
If the cases survive those initial motions — and that’s a meaningful ‘if’ — discovery begins. That means the family’s attorneys could compel the production of body-worn camera footage from the agents present, internal communications within ICE and DHS around the Minneapolis operation, and sworn testimony from the named defendants. For a family and a public still without a complete account of what happened on January 7, that discovery process may be the only path to a full picture.
Most FTCA and federal civil rights cases of this nature resolve before trial through negotiated settlements, particularly if the plaintiffs survive early dismissal. But the family’s decision to name Miller, Noem, and Homan suggests they may be less interested in a quiet settlement than in forcing a public legal record — depositions, documents, and all — of what was authorized and by whom.
- Renee Good Minneapolis ICE shooting
