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 Minneapolis mother of three was shot and killed during an encounter involving federal immigration agents.

On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Renee, 37, had just dropped her 6-year-old child off at school before the fatal confrontation.

She was driving home with her partner, Becca Good, when they came upon a group of ICE agents, her ex-husband told the Associated Press. The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said Renee and Becca had moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Mo.

Becca later shared a lengthy statement with Minnesota Public Radio, and now members of Renee’s extended family are also adding their voices.

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

The relatives spoke to The Guardian and released an emotional statement on Monday, Jan. 12, saying they hope the “unimaginable loss” the family has suffered will 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,” per The Guardian.

In addition to her 6-year-old with Macklin Jr., Renee was also a mother to 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, said in a statement on behalf of Renee’s extended family, “Our family is grieving deeply, and we are speaking now with care, clarity, and love during a time of unimaginable loss. At the center of this tragedy are lives we love, and a family forever changed,” according to The Oregonian.

The family did not reference ICE directly in their public comments, per The Guardian, but Jessica said, “I don’t want to open it up into this huge fight with the opposing side. That would just be pouring more gasoline on the fire. But not saying something is political too.”

“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,” the family’s statement continued, according to the paper.

Jessica added that the public conversation has often missed who Renee was as a person. “There’s been so much hateful rhetoric back and forth, 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 paper that meeting Renee had “made me a better mother.”

“It feels deeply wrong that Renee died in this way,” she said. “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.”

Separately, a since-released cellphone recording of the shooting showed a dog inside Renee’s vehicle during the incident. The dog survived.

The confrontation was captured on video by an ICE agent who was circling Renee’s Honda Pilot while she sat in the driver’s seat. Becca was standing outside the vehicle speaking with the agent, and the footage shows a black dog sitting in the backseat with the window down.

The situation escalated when Renee began to move her vehicle, prompting an agent — later identified as Jonathan Ross — to fire his weapon. The vehicle continued moving after she was shot and later crashed down the road. A voice behind the camera was then heard saying, “F—ing bitch.”

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

Becca previously wrote that she and Renee had moved to Minnesota “to make a better life for ourselves.”

“What we found when we got here was a vibrant and welcoming community; we made friends and spread joy,” she said. “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.”

Becca also described how they ended up encountering ICE that day.

“On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors,” she wrote. “We had whistles. They had guns.”