The woman shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a federal operation in the US state of Minnesota has been identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.
Good was fatally shot on Wednesday, January 7, just blocks from her home, where she lived with her partner and three children, according to media reports.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Good attempted to hit officers with her vehicle, prompting an agent to fire in what officials described as an act of "self-defence".
Local officials disputed that account, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying he reviewed video footage of the shooting and rejected claims that it was justified, calling it a reckless use of force. He demanded that the federal immigration agents leave the city.
Speaking to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Good's mother, Donna Ganger, said that family members were notified of her death late on Wednesday morning.
"That's so stupid," Ganger said after learning details of the shooting, adding: "She was probably terrified."
Ganger said that her daughter was not involved in any protest directed at ICE agents, adding: "Renee was one of the kindest people I've ever known."
"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."
An Instagram account appearing to belong to Good describes her as a poet, writer, wife and mother living in Minneapolis. She previously studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia, where she won the school's undergraduate poetry prize in 2020.
Hundreds gathered on Wednesday evening for a vigil near Good's home, chanting her name as they walked through the neighbourhood. Speakers described her as a peaceful neighbour who acted out of care for others.
Neighbours described Good as warm and attentive, often outside with her young son. "It's a beautiful family," Mary Radford, who lived next door, told the newspaper. "We're gonna miss seeing them — forever."
University President Brian O Hemphill, in a statement, said Good graduated from the school in 2020 with an English degree, calling her killing "yet another clear example that fear and violence have sadly become commonplace in our nation".
"May Renee's life be a reminder of what unites us: freedom, love and peace," Hemphill said, adding: "My hope is for compassion, healing and reflection at a time that is becoming one of the darkest and most uncertain periods in our nation’s history."
Good was previously married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr, who died in 2023, according to the Tribune. His father, Timmy Ray Macklin Sr, said the couple shared a six-year-old child. "There's nobody else in his life," Macklin said. "I'll drive. I'll fly. To come and get my grandchild."
The incident occurred amid heightened tensions over federal immigration enforcement, as ICE has stepped up operations in several US cities following policy directives under President Donald Trump aimed at tightening immigration controls.
The increased raids have sparked protests and resistance in several cities, including Minneapolis, where local officials have opposed cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Civil rights groups warn the operations have fuelled fear within immigrant communities and raised concerns over excessive use of force.
Good's shooting
Releasing a joint statement on the incident, the Minneapolis City Council said Good was a resident whose "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," said the council, demanding ICE "immediately leave our city so we can get rid of their chaos and violence that ended the life of one of our neighbors today".
Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin wrote on the US social media company X that ICE officers were conducting targeted operations when "rioters" began blocking them and "one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle".
An ICE officer "used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers", she said, adding that officers injured in the incident were expected to make full recoveries.
But Governor Tim Walz echoed the mayor's view, calling the Department of Homeland Security's account of the incident the product of "propaganda".
"The state will ensure there is a full, fair and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice," he wrote on X.
Frey said he was aware of the shooting, while accusing federal immigration enforcement agents of causing "chaos" in Minneapolis.
"We're demanding ICE to leave the city immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities," Frey wrote on X.
