37-Year-Old Woman, Renee Nicole, Fatally Shot by ICE Agent
Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent on January 7, 2026. She was mere blocks from her residence when the deadly confrontation occurred, in a place where she was recognized, cherished, and felt secure.
Now, what transpired in those final moments has devastated the community and ignited national outrage.
For some, it has reignited intense debates surrounding immigration enforcement. However, for those who knew Renee her family, her neighbors, and those who witnessed the incident this transcends politics.
This is about a catastrophic loss that never should have occurred.
A U.S. Citizen With No Criminal History
Above all, one fact has emerged starkly: Good was a United States citizen. She was born in Colorado and had previously resided in Colorado Springs before relocating to Minnesota from Kansas City, Missouri.
She had no criminal record and no history of legal troubles, aside from a traffic citation.
Online, she resembled many other women her age. Her Pinterest profile displayed her smiling with her youngest son. Her posts were filled with pins about home décor, tattoos, and hair inspiration.
The Fatal Encounter Unfolds
Some cautiously approached the area with their phones, uncertain about what was happening. While a few stood by and recorded silently, others began confronting the agents.
Then, one video captured the senseless tragedy.
Good was inside a dark SUV when one of the agents walked up to the driver’s side and grabbed the door handle. Good suddenly shifted the car into reverse, pulling back as though attempting to escape.
At that moment, another agent appeared directly in front of her vehicle. Still, Good moved forward, appearing to intend to drive straight toward him. Some video angles suggest Good made contact with and injured him with her car.
In a split-second decision, the officer drew his handgun and fired multiple times directly through the windshield. The bullets struck Good. Her vehicle surged forward, then lost control and crashed further down the block.
Devastating Aftermath
In the chaotic aftermath, neighbors and bystanders captured another scene on video. A woman, distraught and crying, sat near the crashed SUV, shouting, “That’s my wife, I don’t know what to do!”
That woman was later identified as Good’s wife who had been in the car. A neighbor who had come outside to investigate attempted to comfort her.
“I made her come down here, it’s my fault,” she said through tears. “They just shot my wife.” In another moment captured on camera, she seemingly can be heard saying, “They shot her in the head. I have a 6-year-old in school.”
A Community in Shock
The shooting occurred in Good’s own neighborhood, the Powderhorn Park area of south Minneapolis, during what federal authorities described as a “targeted operation.” Witnesses described a scene of confusion and horror as residents emerged from their homes to find ICE agents surrounding a crashed vehicle and a fatally wounded woman inside.
Good, a 37-year-old poet, mother of three, and recent transplant to the neighborhood, had been living just blocks away with her wife and 6-year-old son. Her death has left that young boy orphaned his father, comedian Tim Macklin Jr., died in 2023, also at age 37.
Questions and Controversy
The Department of Homeland Security has characterized Good as a “domestic terrorist” who “weaponized her vehicle” against federal agents. However, video evidence and witness testimonies have prompted Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to strongly dispute this characterization, with Frey calling the self-defense claim “bulls—” and Walz describing the federal explanation as “propaganda.”
Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, rejected the federal characterization entirely: “That’s absolutely ridiculous. She must have been terrified. She was not involved in anything like that whatsoever.”
A Life Cut Short
Those who knew Good describe a compassionate poet and devoted mother, not the dangerous individual portrayed by federal authorities. She graduated from Old Dominion University in 2020 with a degree in English and had won the school’s undergraduate poetry prize. Her published works appeared in literary journals, and her social media reflected the interests of an ordinary young mother family photos, home décor ideas, and creative pursuits.
Her neighbor Mary Radford, 27, told reporters she always had “wonderful conversations” with Good’s “beautiful family,” even though they were relatively new to the community. “We’re going to miss them forever. It is so painful to think about how [Good’s son] is gonna fare in his life.”
National Implications
The shooting has intensified scrutiny of ICE enforcement tactics and sparked protests across the Twin Cities. It occurred just one day before federal agents shot two more individuals in Portland, Oregon, further escalating concerns about the use of lethal force during immigration operations.
As investigations continue, Good’s family, community, and supporters across the nation are demanding answers about how a U.S. citizen, poet, and mother ended up fatally shot by federal agents just blocks from her home in broad daylight.
The contrast between the federal government’s characterization of Good as a violent threat and the community’s remembrance of her as a kind, creative person devoted to her family remains at the heart of this tragedy a tragedy that has left three children without a mother and a community searching for justice and accountability.