Renee Good’s Family Share Their ‘Unimaginable Loss’ After Her Death in Fatal ICE Shooting, Remember Her as ‘Full of Heart’

Renee Nicole Good’s extended family is speaking publicly after the 37-year-old mother of three was shot and killed during an encounter involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Renee had just dropped her 6-year-old child off at school when the fatal incident occurred. She was driving home with her current partner, Becca Good, when they came upon a group of ICE agents, Renee’s ex-husband told the Associated Press. He asked not to be identified and said Renee and Becca had moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Missouri.

Becca shared a lengthy statement with Minnesota Public Radio two days after her wife’s death. Now, members of Renee’s extended family are also speaking out—many of them relatives of her late husband, Timmy Macklin Jr., who died at age 36 in 2023 and is the father of Renee’s youngest child, according to The Guardian.

Relatives spoke with The Guardian and also released an emotional statement on Monday, Jan. 12, expressing hope that their “unimaginable loss” could lead to change and “fewer families [who] have to endure this kind of pain.” They urged the public to center conversations on “humanity, empathy, and care for the family most affected” following the shooting.

Macklin Jr.’s parents and siblings described Renee as “an extraordinary mother—devoted, fiercely loving, and always putting her children at the center of the world,” adding that she was “full of heart and never defined by malice,” The Guardian reported.

In addition to her 6-year-old child with Macklin Jr., Renee was also the mother of two older children—a daughter and a son from her first marriage—ages 12 and 15, the Associated Press previously reported.

Macklin Jr.’s sister, Jessica Fletcher, spoke on behalf of Renee’s extended family in a statement shared by The Oregonian. “Our family is grieving deeply, and we are speaking now with care, clarity, and love during a time of unimaginable loss,” she said. “At the center of this tragedy are lives we love, and a family forever changed.”

While the family’s comments did not specifically mention ICE, Fletcher acknowledged the political weight surrounding the case. “I don’t want to open it up into this huge fight with the opposing side,” she said, according to The Guardian. “That would just be pouring more gasoline on the fire. But not saying something is political too.”

The family’s statement continued with a message about Renee’s values, saying they believe she would have supported those “who fight for justice,” and that they hope the tragedy leads to “accountability, compassion, and meaningful change,” The Guardian reported.

Fletcher also noted that public discourse has at times obscured who Renee was as a person. “There’s been so much hateful rhetoric back and forth,” she said, “and what’s been missed is painting a picture of who Renee was.”

Charlene Fletcher, Renee’s former mother-in-law, told The Guardian that meeting Renee had “made me a better mother.” She added, “It feels deeply wrong that Renee died in this way. She had a beautiful voice that everyone should have had the chance to hear. The last thing Renee would have wanted was violence carried out in her name.”

In recent days, additional details about the incident have surfaced, including a report that a dog was inside Renee’s vehicle during the confrontation and survived. Video of the encounter, recorded by an ICE agent, shows the agent circling Renee’s Honda Pilot as she sat in the driver’s seat. Becca is seen outside the vehicle speaking to the agent, while a black dog appears to be sitting in the backseat with a window down.

The situation escalated when Renee began moving her vehicle. An agent—identified as Jonathan Ross—fired his weapon, and the vehicle continued away before crashing down the road. In the footage, a voice behind the camera can be heard using a profanity.

A Minneapolis resident who lives near the site of the shooting said they spoke with Becca shortly afterward and asked if she had someone she could call. The resident said Becca replied, “That’s my wife. They shot her in the f—-ing head, dude. This is ridiculous!”

Becca also released a statement on Jan. 9 describing the couple’s move to Minnesota and the life they were building. “What we found when we got here was a vibrant and welcoming community; we made friends and spread joy,” she wrote. “And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever.”

She also described how they came into contact with agents that day: “On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors,” she wrote. “We had whistles. They had guns.”