A Minneapolis driver killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a federal enforcement operation has been identified as Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother whose death has intensified outrage over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune she learned of her daughter’s death on the morning of Wednesday, January 7. “Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” Ganger said. “She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being.”
Good was fatally shot after ICE agents were conducting an immigration operation in Minneapolis and encountered a group of people who allegedly began blocking officials. City Council member Jason Chavez described Good as a U.S. citizen who was acting as an observer and “watching out for our immigrant neighbors,” according to ABC News.
A neigbhor who saw what happened told local MPR news: “She was trying to turn around, and the ICE agent was in front of her car, and he pulled out a gun and put it right in — like, his midriff was on her bumper — and he reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times” / Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Her death came just days after ICE launched large-scale raids across the city, amid escalating rhetoric from President Donald Trump and his administration targeting Somali immigrants. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the tragedy confirmed long-standing fears about the federal presence.
“We’ve dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis,” Frey said at a news conference Wednesday. “This was a federal agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying.” He went further, directing a blunt message at the agency: “Get the [expletive] out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here.”
According to city officials cited by ABC News, Good suffered gunshot wounds to the head and was transported to a local hospital, where she died.
Good had previously been married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who died in 2023 at the age of 36. Macklin’s father, Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., told the Star Tribune the couple shared a 6-year-old child. “There’s nobody else in his life,” Macklin Sr. said. “I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come and get my grandchild.”
Witness Emily Heller told NBC News she saw federal agents approach a vehicle parked perpendicular to traffic and instruct the driver to leave. Heller said agents then attempted to open the driver’s door, causing the woman to panic and try to drive away.
“She reversed a little bit and then angled her wheels so she could drive away,” Heller said. “And as she was trying to move forward, one of the ICE agents stepped in front of her vehicle and reached across the hood and fired his weapon about three or four times and shot her in the face.” Heller said the vehicle struck nearby cars and crashed into a post before Good slumped over inside.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Heller said. “This was horrific and will change my life forever. It’s just so terrifying. I feel so scared.”
In a statement after the shooting, Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin alleged that Good “weaponized her vehicle” and attempted to run over officers. She said the agent who fired believed he was acting to protect his own life, fellow officers, and the public.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he has issued a “warning order” to prepare the Minnesota National Guard, while urging calm. “The desire to get out and protest and speak up to this administration — that is a patriotic duty,” Walz said, according to ABC News. “But it needs to be done safely.”
As investigations continue, Good’s death has become a flashpoint in Minneapolis, fueling grief, anger, and renewed calls for federal agents to withdraw from the city.
