'A writer and poet': Who was Renee Nicole Good? 37-year-old shot dead by ICE agent

A woman was fatally shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during the crackdown operation in south Minneapolis on Wednesday.

Officials said the shooting occurred amid a tense confrontation as unmarked law enforcement vehicles moved through a residential neighbourhood during the operation.


Video footage circulating online showed officers ordering the woman, who was driving an SUV, to get out of the vehicle and attempting to open her door. As the vehicle moved, an ICE agent fired three shots. The SUV then travelled a short distance before crashing into a parked car.



The woman was taken to Hennepin County Medical Centre, where she was pronounced dead, according to Minneapolis police. The Department of Homeland Security said the agent acted in self-defence after the woman attempted to run over officers, a claim disputed by city leaders and civil rights groups, who have called the killing preventable and demanded an independent investigation.

The incident quickly drew national attention and triggered protests across Minneapolis. Hundreds of people gathered near the site of the shooting and later attended a vigil. Mayor Jacob Frey urged federal immigration officers to leave the city, stating that their presence was “causing chaos” and putting residents at risk.

Who was Renee Nicole Good?

The woman killed in the shooting was identified as Renee Nicole Good. She is a 37-year-old poet and writer who lived just a few blocks from where she was shot.

Her mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the family was informed of her death late Wednesday morning.

“That’s so stupid that she was killed,” Ganger said, after learning some of the circumstances from a reporter. “She was probably terrified.”

Ganger said her daughter lived in the Twin Cities with her partner and was not involved in violent activity or efforts to obstruct ICE agents.

“Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” she 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 the mother of a six-year-old child and also had two other children who, according to family members, lived with extended relatives.

She had previously been married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr, who died in 2023. Macklin’s father said he was shocked by the news and expressed concern for his grandchild. “There’s nobody else in his life,” he said. “I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come and get my grandchild.”

The Instagram account of Good described her as a “poet and writer and wife and mom” from Colorado who was “experiencing Minneapolis,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

In 2020, while studying creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia, she received the university’s undergraduate poetry prize. A brief biography posted by the university described her as someone who loved writing, reading and making art.

Friends, neighbours and community leaders remembered Good as a caring and peaceful presence. At a vigil attended by hundreds, speakers described her as a good neighbour who was trying to look out for others.

“She was peaceful, she did the right thing,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN. “She died because she loved her neighbours.”