MINNEAPOLIS — The family of Renee Good, the woman fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, has hired the same law firm that won a record court settlement five years ago for the family of George Floyd.

Romanucci and Blandin in Chicago said in a statement issued Jan. 14 that the firm is representing Good’s parents, Tim and Donna Ganger; her four siblings and her widow, Becca Good.

“The family of Renee Nicole Macklin Good is calling for peace,” the statement read. “Peace not only across Minneapolis, a city in shock about her swift and cruel death at the hands of federal agents on a residential street, but peace in cities across the country where Americans are increasingly and understandably distressed by the conduct of the federal government that defies our constitutional values and sows chaos in our communities.

“What happened to Renee is wrong, contrary to established policing practices and procedures, and should never happen in today’s America.”

The firm also released a statement from the family that read in part, “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.”

The family’s legal team said it intends to conduct its investigation “with an understanding that transparency is essential in this case of national importance. The community is not receiving transparency about this case elsewhere. … Romanucci & Blandin intends to share information learned in the investigation on a rolling basis so that both public officials and concerned individuals across our American communities can see and understand the facts as we learn them.”

As part of its statement, the firm gave its account of the circumstances surrounding Renee Good, based in part on widely distributed video from the scene:

She and Becca Good dropped off their 6-year-old at school, saw ICE agents on Portland Avenue and stopped “their vehicle to observe, with the intention of supporting and helping their neighbors.”

After Becca Good got out of the vehicle, Renee Good remained behind the wheel and waved other drivers to go by, “as people commonly do when there are several vehicles attempting to drive in the same direction.”

When agents “aggressively approach the vehicle,” Renee Good agreed to move and said, “’I’m not mad at you’” to one agent.

She then reversed the SUV and turned her wheel to the right “away from another agent [Jonathan Ross] near the front left of the car.”

As Renee Good “begins to slowly move the vehicle forward, the agent near the front left of the vehicle fires into the vehicle. The agent continues to fire through the driver’s side window as Renee pulls away, with no one in the path of the vehicle.”

Antonio Romanucci is leading a team from the firm to Minneapolis on Jan. 14. Minneapolis attorney Kevin Riach will be joining the legal effort.

Romanucci teamed with civil rights attorney Ben Crump and won a $27 million payout in 2021 from the city of Minneapolis to settle a wrongful death lawsuit in connection with Floyd’s death in May 2020 while pinned to the pavement by three police officers as a fourth stood guard. Derek Chauvin and the others were fired and sentenced to prison.

In 2022, Romanucci had a hand in the city of Brooklyn Center paying $3.25 million to the family of Daunte Wright, the Black man who was killed by police during a traffic stop in 2021. The officer, Kimberly Potter, was convicted and served prison time.

Within hours of Good’s death, Romanucci’s firm issued a statement contending that “unless this woman was a wanted criminal sought by agents for deportation, this confrontation and loss of life is utterly senseless.”

The statement went on to say that Good’s death “is certainly tragic, traumatizing to her loved ones and neighbors, and distressing to decent people across the country. But her death is even more than that. It is irrefutable evidence of the unnecessary aggression and chaos in American streets caused this administration’s claimed efforts to deport hardened criminals.”

Chris Madel, a Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota, is providing legal counsel to ICE agent Jonathan Ross as dual state and federal investigations into his shooting of Renee Good remain ongoing.

Madel told the Minnesota Star Tribune that he filed Ross’ application to have the U.S. Department of Justice provide legal representation under federal regulations. Those regulations state that federal employees who are “sued, subpoenaed, or charged” for acting in their individual capacities" will be provided legal representation by Justice Department attorneys.

Ross has not been charged with any crimes and has yet to any civil litigation filed against him since he shot Good on Portland Avenue in south Minneapolis.

Madel said that he has met with Ross and advised him on the best course of action as the FBI, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and Minnesota Attorney General’s Office continue to investigate the shooting and Ross’ use of deadly force.

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—Jeff Day of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this report.

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