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 mother of three was shot and killed during an encounter involving an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Renee, 37, had just dropped her 6-year-old child off at school before the fatal incident, according to earlier reporting. She was driving home with her current partner, Becca Good, when they came upon a group of federal immigration agents, Renee’s ex-husband told the Associated Press. He asked to remain anonymous and said Renee and Becca had moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Missouri.

Two days after her wife’s death, Becca shared a lengthy statement through Minnesota Public Radio. Now, Renee’s extended family is also adding their voice.

Many of those speaking are relatives of Renee’s late husband, Timmy Macklin Jr., who died at age 36 in 2023 and is the father of her youngest son, according to The Guardian.

In comments to The Guardian and in a separate emotional statement released on Monday, Jan. 12, family members said they hope their “unimaginable loss” leads to change — and that fewer families have to endure similar pain. They urged the public to keep conversations centered on “humanity, empathy, and care for the family most affected” in the aftermath of the shooting.

Macklin Jr.’s parents and siblings described Renee as “an extraordinary mother” — devoted, fiercely loving, and focused on her children — adding that she was “full of heart” and “never defined by malice,” per The Guardian.

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

Macklin Jr.’s sister, Jessica Fletcher, spoke on behalf of Renee’s extended family, saying they were grieving deeply and choosing their words carefully. “At the center of this tragedy are lives we love, and a family forever changed,” she said in a statement cited by The Oregonian.

The family did not mention ICE directly in their remarks, The Guardian reported, though Fletcher acknowledged the tension surrounding public reaction. “I don’t want to open it up into this huge fight with the opposing side,” she said, adding that staying silent can also carry political weight.

The statement continued: “We know Renee would be there too, cheering on those who fight for justice and standing with the people, causes, and community she loved. We hope this inspires accountability, compassion, and meaningful change,” according to The Guardian.

Fletcher also emphasized that, amid the anger and back-and-forth, what often gets lost is who Renee was as a person. “There’s been so much hateful rhetoric… and what’s been missed is painting a picture of who Renee was,” she said.

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.”

The tributes follow additional coverage about the incident, including a cellphone recording that reportedly shows Renee had a dog inside her vehicle, which survived. The confrontation was also captured on video by an agent, showing an ICE agent circling Renee’s Honda Pilot while she sat in the driver’s seat, with Becca outside the vehicle speaking to him. The footage reportedly shows a black dog in the backseat with the window down.

Accounts say the situation escalated when Renee began to move her car. An agent later identified as Jonathan Ross fired his weapon. The vehicle continued moving after she was shot and crashed down the road. A voice behind the camera was then heard using a profane slur.

A Minneapolis resident who lives near the site of the shooting told reporters they asked Becca shortly afterward whether she had anyone she could call. Becca replied that Renee was her wife and that she had been shot in the head.

In her Jan. 9 statement, Becca said she and Renee had recently moved to Minnesota “to make a better life for ourselves,” describing Minneapolis as a place where they found community, friends, and a sense of safety — which she said was “taken from me forever.”

Becca also described why they stopped on Jan. 7: “On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors,” she wrote. “We had whistles. They had guns.”