The details surrounding the victim’s final morning come amid her loved ones sharing heartfelt words about who she was after they learned of her death.
On a snowy Wednesday morning in Minneapolis, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good was returning home after dropping off her six-year-old son at school.
Accompanied by her current partner, the pair had just completed the routine errand when their path crossed with a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Routine Errand Turns Into a Scene of Horror
The chilling encounter occurred along a residential street, not far from where the couple had relocated last year (2025) from Kansas City, Missouri.
Such information was reported by the ex-husband of the victim, who requested anonymity to protect the safety of their children. What began as an ordinary morning quickly escalated into tragedy, setting off a chain of events that would lead to the fatal shooting of Good.
Since learning of the mother’s death at the hands of an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Good’s family is reeling in grief.
Bloodied Widow Breaks Down After Brutal Shooting
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, a woman identified as Good’s wife was seen in a state of utter devastation. Covered in blood, she reportedly cried out, “They shot her in the head. I have a 6-year-old in school.” Distraught and panicked, she added, “I made her come down here, [sic] it’s my fault. They just shot my wife.”
Her harrowing words echoed through the neighborhood as bystanders looked on, stunned by the sudden burst of violence that claimed a life and shattered a family.
A memorial for Renee Nicole Good appears at the site of the ICE-involved shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026. | Source: Getty Images
A Poet, a Mother, a Light: Victim’s Mother Remembers Kind Daughter
Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, confirmed her daughter’s identity and shared heartfelt memories of who Good was beyond the headlines. “Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” she said. “She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and [sic] affectionate. She was an amazing human being.”
“She was probably terrified,” Ganger added of her daughter’s killing. She also clarified that Good was never a part of any protest affiliations against ICE agents.
A passionate creative, Good once described herself on social media as a “poet and writer and wife and mom and [expletive] guitar strummer from Colorado; experiencing Minneapolis, MN.”
In 2020, while studying creative writing at Old Dominion University, she received the university’s undergraduate poetry prize for her work titled “On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs.” She also co-hosted a podcast with her then-husband, the late Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who passed away in 2023 at just 36 years old.
Grandfather of Late Woman’s Child Speaks Out
Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., Good’s former father-in-law, expressed deep sorrow upon learning of her death. His son and Good shared a child who is now six years old. “There’s nobody else in his life,” he expressed. “I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come and get my grandchild.”
He also noted that Good had two additional children, believed to be living with extended family. In the days following the tragedy, neighbors and friends spoke warmly about Good and the life she was building with her family in Minneapolis.
Friends and Neighbors Remember Renee as a Beacon of Love
Mary Radford, a 27-year-old neighbor, recalled seeing Good and her young son outside often, playing with Radford’s Australian shepherd, Hazelnut.
“It’s a beautiful family. They have a son. He’s very sweet. He loves our dog,” Radford said through tears. “We’re gonna miss seeing them — forever. It is so painful to think about how he’s gonna fare in his life. And I just can’t even imagine what that family is going through.”
Others echoed Radford’s sentiments. Megan Kocher, who had recently met Good and her wife, remembered being welcomed into their home with tea and cookies. “[She] was such a warm and loving mother. This is tragic beyond words,” Kocher wrote on social media.
Vigil Defies Official Narrative
At an evening vigil, community leaders and mourners gathered to honor Good’s life. Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN, shared, “She was peaceful, she did the right thing.”
Another speaker pushed back against official narratives, saying Good was present on Portland Avenue on Wednesday “to watch the terrorists,” rejecting the notion that she posed a threat.
People attend a vigil in Minneapolis holding signs honoring Renee Nicole Good after she was fatally shot by an ICE agent. | Source: Getty Images
The tragedy has left a ripple of heartbreak in its wake for a family newly settled into their neighborhood, for a mother taken too soon, and for a little boy whose world has been turned upside down.
As the investigation continues, the community remains steadfast in remembering Good not for the way her life ended, but for the warmth, creativity, and compassion she brought to those who knew her. “She died because she loved her neighbors,” Hussein said — a sentiment now etched into the hearts of all who mourn her.
The killing occurred on January 7, 2026, and while authorities claimed Good was threatening, video and witness accounts suggested otherwise, sparking outrage and calls for accountability.
Law enforcement officers respond to the aftermath of a shooting involving an ICE agent near Portland Avenue in Minneapolis in January 2026. | Source: Getty Images
ICE Operation Ends in Deadly Gunfire
As reported by KARE 11, the incident occurred at the intersection of 34th Street and Portland Avenue in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE agents were conducting “targeted operations” when they were allegedly confronted by individuals attempting to interfere.
ICE agents walk near the scene of a fatal shooting involving a federal officer in south Minneapolis on January 7, 2026. | Source: Getty Images
DHS spokesperson and assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said a woman “weaponized her vehicle” and tried to run over officers. She added:
“An ICE officer fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow officers and the lives of the public, fired defensive shots, used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers. The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. Thankfully, the ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.”
A video shared online shows a burgundy SUV surrounded by law enforcement agents. Gunshots are heard before the vehicle crashes into a light pole. A bullet hole is visible in the driver’s side windshield. Two parked cars appear to have been struck.
A witness told the same news outlet that the woman seemed to be fleeing from ICE agents when she was shot. The scene quickly filled with law enforcement and shocked neighbors.
Scene of the ICE-involved shooting in south Minneapolis, where a burgundy SUV with a bullet hole in the windshield is surrounded by agents. | Source: Getty Images
Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh stated on X that he received reports of a doctor being prevented by federal agents from administering lifesaving CPR.
Fateh, along with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, several city council members, and faith leaders, visited the scene shortly after the shooting.
Mayor Jacob Frey and other city officials speak at the scene of the ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis. | Source: Getty Images
The ICE shooting that claimed Good’s life isn’t the only federal operation drawing scrutiny. In a separate incident last year (2025), armed ICE agents carried out a controversial arrest in Massachusetts.
As reported previously, Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a Brazilian-born woman and the mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, was arrested just outside Boston in a heavily armed ICE takedown on November 12, 2025.
The footage was released weeks later, and as it began circulating online, many netizens questioned whether it was truly about immigration or something far more personal.
Netizen comment about the footage of Bruna Ferreira’s ICE detention released on December 3, 2025. | Source: Instagram/tmz_tv
Tactical Arrest Caught on Camera
The video, released by TMZ on December 3, began like any ordinary daily moment. A silver sedan was seen driving toward the exit of a condo parking lot in Revere, Massachusetts. It was around 12:30 p.m.
But within seconds, everything went wrong. Multiple SUVs barreled into the frame, boxing in the car. Agents leapt out with weapons raised, aiming toward the driver’s side.
Ferreira stepped out and, without resistance, was immediately handcuffed and led away by officers. Another agent climbed into her vehicle, and soon after, all the cars pulled away.
Online Backlash and Bold Accusations
With tensions already high around immigration enforcement and the administration’s policies, it didn’t take long for netizens to unleash a storm of speculation, and fingers were quickly pointed.
“That was a Set up. I don’t care what nobody say [sic],” one person declared. “Set up for sure. They knew what car she was in ðŸ˜ðŸ¥´,” another agreed.
Then came the accusations.
“Her brother wanted full custody and mom out of the country!” someone claimed. Another netizen didn’t hold back, alleging, “Karoline called them on her own nephew’s mother smh [sic].” “Mm I’m sure she called so her brother could keep custody [sic],” another echoed.
One netizen furiously exploded, “THEY CALLED ON HER. DISGUSTING!”
A Legal War in the Process
While speculation continued online, the reality was that Ferreira was facing a serious legal battle. A representative from the DHS told reporters that she had been in the U.S. illegally since June 1999, allegedly overstaying a tourist visa. The agency also claimed she had a prior arrest for battery.
But Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, quickly pushed back.
He insisted that Ferreira had no criminal record and was not in the country illegally, as she was protected under DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a program that shields individuals brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.
A young Bruna Ferreira in a picture with family during a birthday party, from a funraiser created by Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues. | Source: GoFundMe
The problem was that Ferreira wasn’t able to renew her status during President Donald Trump’s first term, when legal challenges and executive action threatened to dismantle DACA entirely.
Although the Supreme Court later ruled those efforts invalid, some recipients, including Ferreira, were still caught in the crosshairs of the current administration’s ICE detentions.
Pomerleau said Ferreira was actively in the process of obtaining legal citizenship, but at the time, she remained detained at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center. That’s more than 1,500 miles from where she was arrested, and 80 miles from Baton Rouge.
The Custody Matter
According to CNN sources, Leavitt’s nephew had always lived full-time with his father in New Hampshire. Ferreira and Leavitt’s brother, who were previously engaged, shared joint custody of the 11-year-old.
Pomerleau said Ferreira was on her way to pick up her son the day of the arrest. He added that she reportedly hadn’t spoken to Leavitt in years, making the family dynamics even murkier.
Meanwhile, Leavitt’s brother told WMUR, a CNN affiliate, that their son had a fair relationship with Ferreira, but that the two hadn’t seen each other since the arrest. He said he only wanted what was best for his son.
At this time, we wish to extend our most heartfelt condolences to Gagner, Good’s wife, her son, her two other kids, her entire family, friends, neighbors, and community as they mourn such a significant loss. We hope for their healing as they grieve. RIP, dear Good.