Renee Good’s Wife Remembers Her as a Christian Who Believed ‘We Are Here to Love Each Other’: ‘She Literally Sparkled’

Two days after Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, her wife is speaking publicly about the loss — and the life Renee leaves behind. Becca Good shared a long statement with Minnesota Public Radio on Friday, Jan. 9, thanking those who have contacted her and her family from across the U.S. and around the world.

“This kindness of strangers is the most fitting tribute because if you ever encountered my wife, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind,” Becca wrote. “In fact, kindness radiated out of her.”

Becca said her wife “literally sparkled,” adding, “she didn’t wear glitter but I swear she had sparkles coming out of her pores… Renee was made of sunshine.”

In her statement, Becca wrote that Renee lived with a deep belief that “there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow.” She connected that worldview to Renee’s Christian faith, which she said taught the “truth” that “we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole.”

Becca said the couple moved to Minnesota seeking a “better life,” and quickly felt embraced by the Minneapolis community. She described a neighborhood culture rooted in looking out for one another — something that made Minnesota feel like a “safe harbor.”

“Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor,” she wrote. “That has been taken from me forever.”

Becca also wrote about the couple’s family and the values they were trying to pass on to their 6-year-old son. She said they were raising him “to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness.”

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Renee was previously married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., the father of her youngest son, who died at age 36 in 2023. Renee was also the mother of two older children — a daughter and a son — who are 12 and 15 years old, according to The Associated Press.

Becca said she plans to continue raising their 6-year-old and keep teaching him the principles Renee believed in — including the idea that “there are people building a better world for him.” She also wrote that she wants him to understand that “the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way.”

Renee had been driving home from school drop-off with Becca on Wednesday when they encountered a group of ICE agents, Renee’s ex-husband told the Associated Press. In her statement, Becca said, “we stopped to support our neighbors.”

Video from before the shooting showed Becca filming as agents approached a Honda Pilot, with Renee in the driver’s seat.

After Renee was shot, Becca was seen running after the vehicle as it crashed into other cars down the street, then collapsing to the ground in tears.

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

In the footage, a bystander asked if there was anyone they could call. Becca replied, “I have a 6-year-old at school… we’re new here, we don’t have anyone.”

After Renee’s death, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin alleged in a statement that the ICE agent who shot Renee was “fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public.” The agent has since been identified as Jonathan Ross.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed Renee had been “stalking and impeding” ICE agents on Wednesday, and accused her of “domestic terrorism.”

Renee’s mother, Donna Ganger, disputed that characterization in comments to The Minnesota Star Tribune, calling the “domestic terrorist” label and the claim that ICE acted in self-defense “so stupid.”

“She was probably terrified,” Ganger said, adding that her daughter was “not part of anything like that at all,” referring to protesters who have been challenging ICE agents.