Renee Good’s family filed two federal lawsuits over her fatal shooting by ICE, and the White House says it will ‘vigorously defend’ them

Renee Good’s family brought two civil suits in federal court on Thursday over her killing by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, according to NBC News. ICE officer Jonathan Ross shot Good, 37, while she sat behind the wheel of her SUV on Jan. 7. Her partner, Becca Good, made her first public remarks about the killing at a news conference where the family announced the suits.

“She was pure love, and she was funny, and she was smart, and she was gorgeous,” Becca Good said. She added, “Every single one of these moments for all of her babies and for everyone up here was a monumental moment, and she should be here for all of them. We were all robbed.” Brent Ganger, her brother, called her death “completely senseless.” He said, “We file these two lawsuits today to put officials on notice that we have not forgotten.”

Both suits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, according to a statement from the family’s law firm, Romanucci & Blandin. The first, brought against the United States through the Federal Tort Claims Act, targets the government’s liability for wrongful acts by its employees. Its wrongful death claim rests on allegations of assault, battery, negligence, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The second suit names top Trump officials

The second targets Ross, Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, and Kristi Noem, the former homeland security secretary. It also names border czar Tom Homan, Corey Lewandowski, Todd Lyons, Gregory Bovino and 10 unnamed federal agents. It claims excessive force under the Fourth Amendment.

The complaint says Congress passed that law to address “the acts of individuals who ride the public roads with their faces covered, to strip a despised group of the equal protection of the laws,” Newsweek reported. The family seeks unspecified damages. Attorney Antonio Romanucci said, “Our country cannot tolerate unjustified and excessive use of force.”

Lauren Bis, a White House spokeswoman, said the administration will “vigorously defend” against the claims. She also shared Trump’s statement, in which the president said Good’s “actions were pretty tough.” Homeland Security officials had not commented at the time. Noem and other administration officials have claimed Good tried to drive into Ross.

Witnesses interviewed at the time said he did not seem to be standing directly in the SUV’s way. In cellphone footage, Good steers away from Ross and starts to pull forward before gunshots are heard. According to Noem, Ross received hospital care and was discharged soon after, and a DHS official said he had internal bleeding.

The second lawsuit is set for a jury trial, while the first asks for a trial before a judge. It was unclear who represents Ross.