Driver Killed by ICE Agent in Minneapolis Identified as 37-Year-Old Mom

A Minneapolis driver who was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent has been identified as Renee Nicole Good, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, told the outlet she was notified of her daughter’s death on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 7.

“Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” Ganger said, per 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.”

What happened

Good was fatally shot by an agent after a group of people allegedly began blocking officials during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.

City Council member Jason Chavez described the 37-year-old mother as a U.S. citizen who was “an observer … watching out for our immigrant neighbors,” ABC News reported.

Her death came just days after ICE launched large-scale raids in the city amid ramped-up rhetoric from President Donald Trump and his administration about Somali immigrants.

At a Wednesday press conference, Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the federal agency’s actions.

“We’ve dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis,” Frey said. “This was a federal agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying.”

Frey also warned the agency to leave the city: “Get the f— out of Minneapolis.”

According to ABC News, citing city officials, Good suffered gunshot wounds to the head and was taken to a local hospital, where she later died.

Family details

Good had previously been married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who died in 2023 at age 36, according to the Star Tribune.

Macklin’s father, Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., told the outlet he was stunned by the news and said the couple shared a child who is now 6 years old.

“There’s nobody else in his life,” Macklin Sr. said. “I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come and get my grandchild.”

Witness account

Witness Emily Heller, who said she was at the scene, told NBC News she saw agents exit their vehicles and ask a driver who was parked perpendicular to traffic to leave the area.

“And then they went up to her car and started trying to open her door, and that’s when I’m sure she got spooked and tried to flee,” Heller told the outlet.

Heller said the driver reversed, turned her wheels to leave, and as she tried to move forward, an ICE agent stepped in front of the vehicle and fired “about three or four times,” striking her in the face, according to NBC News.

Heller added that the woman hit some cars, crashed into a post, and then slumped over inside the vehicle.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before. This was horrific and will change my life forever,” Heller said. “It’s just so terrifying. I feel so scared.”

Federal response and state reaction

In a statement after the incident, Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin alleged the driver “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”

McLaughlin also said the ICE agent who fired his weapon was “fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public.”

During a news conference, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he issued a “warning order” to prepare the state’s National Guard, ABC News reported. He also urged “peaceful resistance.”

“I want Minnesotans to hear this from me: The desire to get out in the protest and to speak up to this administration of how wrong this is — that is a patriotic duty at this point in time,” Walz said, “but it needs to be done safely.”