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The family of Renee Nicole Goode, a Minneapolis mother who is accusing U.S. federal immigration officers of killing her when she tried to follow agents’ instructions, said Wednesday that they have hired the same law firm that represented George Floyd’s family to seek answers and accountability.
Good’s friends said in a statement that they are looking for the 37-year-old Good, who was remembered as an “agent of peace,” and urged the public not to use her death as a political flashpoint, according to Chicago-based firm Romanucci and Blandin. The organization announced that it will release the information in the coming weeks.
The family’s decision to hire the law firm came the same week the U.S. Justice Department said there was no reason to open a federal civil rights investigation into the alleged assault by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. An FBI investigation into Goode’s death remains ongoing.
The Trump administration has defended the ISIS officer’s actions, saying he fired in self-defense as he stood in front of Goode’s car and began walking forward. But that explanation has been widely criticized by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and others based on video of the confrontation.
About half a dozen federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned this week, and several supervisors in the civil rights division of the Washington-based civil rights division have given notice of their resignations, people familiar with the matter said.
Six prosecutors from the U.S. attorney general’s office in Minnesota resigned Tuesday, according to reports. The Justice Department has pushed to investigate the widow of Renee Goode, who was killed by an ICE agent last week, and she appears to be refusing to investigate the shooter.
Romanucci & Blandin Good’s family wants answers about the January 7 federal operation in the neighborhood where Good was killed, as well as the actions of officers during the standoff and delays in medical attention after the shooting. The ICE agent who fired him has not been publicly identified.
Good’s partner, Becca Good, and other relatives said the couple had dropped their six-year-old son off at school and stopped to watch for law enforcement when officers approached them, according to the law firm.
Renee Nicole Goode was seen turning her vehicle away from the deputy before the shooting, according to investigators, though the attorneys have not released an official identification.
“What happened to Renee was a mistake,” the organization said, adding that they plan to share findings “on a rolling basis” because they believe the public is not getting enough information elsewhere. The firm, which helped secure a $27 million settlement for Floyd’s family, now represents Becca Goode, as well as Renee Nicole Goode’s parents and siblings.
Becca Goode released a statement to Minnesota Public Radio on Friday saying the couple stopped by to support their neighbors: “We had whistles. They had guns.”
Becca Goode and her family did not respond to calls and messages from The Associated Press. Her earlier statement did not provide any further details about the day of the shooting, instead focusing on the memory of her husband.