Woman killed by ICE in Minneapolis: What we know about Renee Nicole Good

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A woman was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer as the largest ICE immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota history continues, Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed Wednesday.

She has been identified as Renee Nicole Good, 37. 

READ MORE: Mayor calls self-defense argument 'bullshit' | Video shows ICE shooting | Eyewitness accounts contradict ICE | What we know about the victim | Noem calls moments before ICE shooting 'domestic terrorism' | Frey calls for ICE to leave | Walz calls for calm following shooting

Renee Nicole Good killed by ICE officer

What we know:

Minneapolis officials on Wednesday afternoon said the woman who was fatally shot by an ICE official was a 37-year-old woman, Renee Nicole Good, who appeared to be in the vehicle alone. 

"This morning an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a member of our community. Renee was a resident of our city who was out caring for her neighbors this morning and her life was taken today at the hands of the federal government. Anyone who kills someone in our city deserves to be arrested, investigated, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," the Minneapolis City Council said in a statement. 

The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. in the area of East 34th Street and Portland Avenue. Good then died at the hospital.

Who is Renee Nicole Good?

Dig deeper:

According to an Associated Press report, Good's ex-husband, who asked not to be named out of concern for the safety of their children, said Good had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school Wednesday and was driving home with her current partner when they encountered a group of ICE agents on a snowy street in Minneapolis. They had moved there last year from Kansas City, Mo.

Trump administration officials painted Good as a domestic terrorist who had attempted to ram federal agents with her car. The AP report says her ex-husband said she was no activist and that he had never known her to participate in a protest of any kind.

He described her as a devoted Christian who took part in youth mission trips to Northern Ireland when she was younger. She loved to sing, participating in a chorus in high school and studying vocal performance in college. She studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia and won a prize in 2020 for one of her works. She also hosted a podcast with her second husband, who died in 2023.

Good had a daughter and son from her first marriage, who are now 15 and 12. Her 6-year-old son is from her second marriage.

Her ex-husband said she had primarily been a stay-at-home mom in recent years but had previously worked as a dental assistant and at a credit union.

Statement from Good's wife

What they're saying:

A GoFundMe page, which raised more than $1.5 million for Good's family, set up to support Good's family includes a statement from Good's wife Becca: 

"First, I want to extend my gratitude to all the people who have reached out from across the country and around the world to support our family.

"This kindness of strangers is the most fitting tribute because if you ever encountered my wife, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind. In fact, kindness radiated out of her.

"Renee sparkled. She literally sparkled. I mean, she didn’t wear glitter but I swear she had sparkles coming out of her pores. All the time. You might think it was just my love talking but her family said the same thing. Renee was made of sunshine.

"Renee lived by an overarching belief: there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow. Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole.

"Like people have done across place and time, we moved to make a better life for ourselves. We chose Minnesota to make our home. Our whole extended road trip here, we held hands in the car while our son drew all over the windows to pass the time and the miles.

"What we found when we got here was a vibrant and welcoming community, we made friends and spread joy. And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever.

"We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renee lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine.

"On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns.

"Renee leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father. I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way.

"We thank you for the privacy you are granting our family as we grieve. We thank you for ensuring that Renee’s legacy is one of kindness and love. We honor her memory by living her values: rejecting hate and choosing compassion, turning away from fear and pursuing peace, refusing division and knowing we must come together to build a world where we all come home safe to the people we love."

Conflicting accounts of what happened

What they're saying:

Federal officials are claiming self-defense, but Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is calling "bullshit" on that claim.

Witnesses told FOX 9, a woman got into a red vehicle and there was one ICE agent on either side of the vehicle trying to get in, and a third ICE agent came and tried to yank on the driver's side door. One of the agents on the driver's side door backed away, and then opened fire, shooting three times through the driver's side window, witnesses said. One witness said the vehicle wasn't moving toward the agents.

However, federal officials said ICE officers were "conducting targeted operations" when "rioters" blocked officers. One of the "rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them." Officials said an ICE officer who was "fearing for his life" fired "defensive shots" to save himself and his officers, killing the woman.

Shooting marks latest in series of ICE operations in US

Big picture view:

The shooting marks a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major American cities under the Trump administration.

READ MORE: 'Largest ever' ICE operation underway in Minnesota

The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, with 2,000 agents and officers expected to participate in the crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.

A large throng of protesters gathered at the scene after Wednesday's shooting, where they vented their anger at the local and federal officers who were there, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.

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