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By Gabe Whisnant, Joshua Rhett Miller, and Billal Rahman
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Renee Nicole Good, 37, was identified as the woman shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, a killing federal officials said was in self-defense but that the city’s mayor condemned as “reckless” and unnecessary.
The woman, a U.S. citizen, was shot in the head during a traffic stop in a residential neighborhood south of downtown, near historic immigrant markets and about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020. Her death quickly drew hundreds of angry protesters to the scene.
Why It Matters
The shooting marked a sharp escalation in the Trump administration’s latest immigration enforcement push in major U.S. cities. The Minneapolis driver’s death was at least the fifth linked to immigration crackdowns since 2024.
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The Twin Cities have been on edge since the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, which officials said is partly tied to fraud allegations involving Somali residents. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Wednesday that more than 2,000 officers have been deployed to the area and said they have already made “hundreds and hundreds” of arrests.
What To Know
Videos posted to social media from multiple angles show an officer approaching an SUV driven by Good stopped across the roadway, demanding she open the door and pulling on the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to move forward, and another ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle draws his weapon and fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the SUV advances.
The SUV then slammed into two parked cars before coming to a stop. Witnesses shouted in shock and obscenities as emergency medical technicians rushed in and tried to render aid to the woman.
“She was driving away and they killed her,” resident Lynette Reini-Grandell, who was outdoors recording video on her phone, told the Associated Press.
At a press conference in Minneapolis, Noem said the officer was struck by the vehicle, taken to a hospital and later released. She said that any death is a tragedy but defended the ICE officer’s actions as justified.
“Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he’s been taught to do in that situation,” Noem said at a news conference in Minneapolis, also calling the driver's actions an "act of domestic terrorism."
She alleged the woman had been harassing officers throughout the day, tried to block them with her vehicle and “attempted to run a law enforcement officer over” before she was shot. President Donald Trump also defended the ICE agent in a post on Truth Social.
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Who Was Renee Nicole Good?
The woman fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis was a 37-year-old mother of three, a poet and a recent arrival to the city.
Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a U.S. citizen born in Colorado, had recently moved to Minnesota. Public records show no criminal history beyond a traffic ticket.
On social media, Macklin Good described herself as a “poet and writer and wife and mom.” Her Instagram bio said she was “experiencing Minneapolis” and featured a pride flag emoji. A Pinterest profile photo shows her smiling with a young child pressed to her cheek, alongside posts about tattoos, hairstyles and home décor.
Donna Ganger told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter lived in the Twin Cities with her partner but declined to say if Good lived in Minneapolis. Ganger said the family was notified of her death late Wednesday morning.
“That’s so stupid,” Ganger said after learning some details from a reporter. “She was probably terrified.”
Ganger said her daughter was not involved in protests against immigration enforcement.
“Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” she told the Star Tribune. “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 previously married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who died in 2023 at age 36, the newspaper reported. Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., told the Star Tribune that Good had a child with his son who is 6-years-old.
It appears she was married and that her wife was in the car with her at the time of the shooting, an eyewitness told Newsweek.
"The passenger is on the driver's side of the car, and she's hugging her, and she's crying," the witness told Newsweek in a phone interview on Wednesday.
The eyewitness described blood visible in the snow.
"They just shot her in the head, she crashed, and this, and then a lady came inside our yard, and she was crying in the snow. As far as the blood in front of our yard with snow on it, that's the blood from the lady who died, but it came off the other person's face. It came off her wife's face, that she had blood all over, like you can see little, like brain fragments...all that kind of stuff on her, though."
Minneapolis City Council member Jason Chavez said the 37-year-old mother was “an observer … watching out for our immigrant neighbors,” according to ABC News.
A large crowd of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting, shouting at local and federal officers, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official who has led similar crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities.
In a scene reminiscent of those earlier operations, bystanders heckled officers, chanting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota,” while blowing whistles that have become a hallmark of immigration enforcement protests.
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What People Are Saying
A group of 11 Minneapolis City Council members said in a statement, "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."
Minnesota Democratic Senator Tina Smith posted on X, "A US citizen has apparently been shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis. I’m gathering information, but the situation on the ground is volatile. ICE should leave now for everyone’s safety. Please be safe Minneapolis."
Noem said, “We’ll let the FBI continue the investigation to get it resolved,” adding that immigration enforcement has made more than 1,500 arrests in Minnesota in recent weeks.
What Happens Next
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI are leading investigations into the use of force.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has committed to pushing for a local, transparent inquiry. Officials said more information, including the identity of the victim and body camera footage, will be released as soon as feasible.
Protests are ongoing, and local leaders have called for calm. Federal officials have not indicated a change in enforcement actions in Minneapolis, but state and city leaders have demanded ICE leave the area while the investigation is ongoing.
Updates: 1/7/26, 4:52 p.m. ET: This headline and article were updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 1/7/26, 6:01 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 1/7/26, 6:42 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 1/7/26, 7:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 1/8/26, 12:15 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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