Renee Good Had Just Dropped 6-Year-Old Off at School When She Encountered ICE. Soon Her Partner Was Crying, ‘They Just Shot My Wife’

Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot and killed in Minneapolis after what relatives described as a sudden encounter with federal immigration agents shortly after she dropped her 6-year-old child off at school.

Good had been driving home from school drop-off with her current partner on Wednesday, Jan. 7, when they came upon a group of ICE agents, her ex-husband told The Associated Press. He asked not to be identified and said Good and her partner moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Mo.

Her ex-husband added that, to his knowledge, Good was not an activist and had not participated in protests in the past.

Video from the scene showed Good’s partner filming as ICE agents approached a Honda Pilot. After the shooting, her partner was seen running after the vehicle as it crashed into other cars, then collapsing to the ground in tears.

“They shot my wife,” she could be heard saying in the footage. She later added, “I made her come down here, it’s my fault,” The National News Desk reported.

When a bystander asked if there was anyone they could call, Good’s partner replied, “I have a 6-year-old at school… we’re new here, we don’t have anyone.”

Good suffered gunshot wounds to the head, ABC News reported, citing city officials. She was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead on Wednesday.

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Good was previously married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who died at age 36 in 2023. Macklin’s father, Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., told the outlet he was stunned by the news and identified his son as the father of Good’s 6-year-old child—who has now lost both parents.

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

The AP reported that Good’s 6-year-old son was from her second marriage. She was also the mother of two older children—a daughter and a son, ages 12 and 15—from her first marriage, according to the outlet.

Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, described her as “one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” in comments to the Star Tribune. “She was extremely compassionate,” Ganger said, adding that her daughter had spent much of her life caring for others and was “loving, forgiving and affectionate.”

After Good’s death, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Good had been “stalking and impeding” ICE agents that day and accused her of “domestic terrorism.” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin also alleged in a statement that the ICE agent who fired the shot feared for his life, the safety of fellow officers, and the public. The agent has since been identified as Jonathan Ross.

Ganger pushed back on the characterization, saying the claims did not match who her daughter was. “That’s so stupid. She was probably terrified,” she said, adding that Good was “not part of anything like that at all,” referring to protests that have challenged ICE actions.

Federal officials, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, have publicly blamed Good for the shooting, while some state and local leaders have framed the incident differently and called for accountability.

On social media, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reposted a DHS statement and wrote, “I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, meanwhile, demanded that ICE leave the city, criticizing what he described as reckless federal action.

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

He then warned ICE, “Get the f— out of Minneapolis.”

“We do not want you here,” Frey said. “Your stated purpose for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, but you are doing exactly the opposite.”