Renee Good’s Wife Makes First Public Appearance After Her Murder, Shares New Personal Statement

Renee Nicole Good’s wife made her first public appearance and shared a deeply personal statement one month after the mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, Becca Good stood before hundreds of people who gathered in Minneapolis to honor Renee’s life. The memorial marked one month since Renee’s death at age 37, according to The New York Times.

Becca did not speak directly at the event, but her written statement was read aloud by Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg.

“Becca Good, Renee’s wife, has had to grieve alone for weeks,” Lekach-Rosenberg told the crowd. “This is a really important moment — Rebecca gets to share words back to you. So it is my honor to offer Becca’s words.”

In her statement, Becca began by expressing gratitude to the Minneapolis community.

“Minneapolis has shown me that even in the middle of grief and fear, people still show up for each other. For that, I want to say thank you,” she wrote. “Thank you to this incredible community for showing up again and again — organizing food and rides, making sure our kids get to school, checking in on neighbors, and standing together in the cold. I am so proud to call Minneapolis my home.”

She went on to reflect on broader loss and violence in the community, referencing the Jan. 24 killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.

“Renee was not the first person killed, and she was not the last,” Becca wrote. “You know my wife’s name, and you know Alex’s name, but there are many others in this city being harmed that you don’t know — their families are hurting just like mine, even if they don’t look like mine.”

“They are neighbors, friends, coworkers, classmates. And we must also know their names. Because this shouldn’t happen to anyone,” she added.

Becca also highlighted Renee’s life as a volunteer, teacher, mother, and friend, noting how consistently she showed up for others.

“She was always helping out, making things a little better for others,” Becca wrote. “Seeing the world now celebrate the parts of her that I’ve always known — the kindness, the humor, the warmth — reminds me of her spirit.”

In another part of the statement, Becca spoke about their 6-year-old son and the values she and Renee shared.

“Renee and I believed that if we lived every day in the world as we wanted it to be, we could build toward making that world a reality,” she wrote. “So I am doing that every day — and every night, as I kiss my son at bedtime and tell him things are going to get better.”

“Renee and I chose kindness,” Becca concluded. “We believed that every life deserves the same care, treatment and dignity, no matter who they are or what they look like. That shouldn’t be radical. If it is, then I want Renee and our family to be known for how we practiced radical kindness every day.”

Renee was also the mother of two older children — a daughter and a son, ages 12 and 15 — from her first marriage. She previously shared a 6-year-old child with her late husband, Timmy Macklin Jr., who died in 2023 at age 36, according to the Associated Press.

On Jan. 7, Renee had just dropped her son off at school before the encounter that led to her death. She and Becca were driving home when they came across a group of federal immigration agents, her ex-husband told the Associated Press. The couple had moved to Minneapolis the previous year from Kansas City, Missouri.

Video recorded by an ICE agent shows the moments leading up to the shooting. The footage captures an agent circling Renee’s Honda Pilot while she remained in the driver’s seat. Becca was outside the vehicle speaking with the agent, and a black dog can be seen in the back seat.

As Renee began to move the car, the situation escalated. An agent later identified as Jonathan Ross fired his weapon. The vehicle continued down the road before crashing. In the recording, a voice can be heard using a profanity after the shooting.

A nearby resident said they asked Becca shortly afterward whether she had anyone she could call. Becca responded, “That’s my wife. They shot her in the f—-ing head, dude. This is ridiculous!”

Renee’s sister, Annie Ganger, also addressed the crowd at Saturday’s memorial. She spoke about the strength of the Minneapolis community and its response following her sister’s death.

“We who do not live in this area of Minnesota see this powerful work that you’re doing despite the pushback, and it encouraged us to dive into our own communities,” she said, becoming emotional. “We are so proud. My family is so grateful for you. Thank you for being my sister’s home.”

Ganger also shared memories of Renee’s humor.

“Renee was completely hilarious,” she said. “Every time I talked to her, I laughed until I cry-snorted — but she cry-snorted with me.”

“I think Renee’s advice to us right now would be to take care of ourselves, care for our neighbors,” Ganger concluded. “Receive care from our neighbors, rest and eat, and play and show up.”