Let’s put a face on ICE’s latest crime against humanity!
Who was Renee Nicole Good?
USA Today reports:
“ By now millions of people have seen the moment that an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
Good's defenders − including city and state leaders − are calling what happened on Jan. 7 an unjustified attack, while federal authorities say the agent was acting in self-defense. Already her death has become a lightning rod in an already tense and divided nation.
But whatever Good was trying to do amid an immigration enforcement operation that was unwelcomed by the city, she was more than the last seconds of her life.
Her mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Good lived with her partner in Minneapolis and was a compassionate woman who had "taken care of people all her life."
"She was loving, forgiving and affectionate," Ganger told the newspaper. "She was an amazing human being."
Though most of them had never heard of Good's name before Wednesday, hundreds of people attended a vigil in Good's honor hours after the shooting, chanting over and over again: "Say her name! Renee Good! Say her name! Renee Good!"
As Minneapolis and ICE grapple with the national spotlight on the confrontation that killed Good and the ensuing firestorm, USA TODAY is working to learn about who Good was and what drove her to go to the scene of what would become the site of her death.
Here's what we know so far.
What else do we know about Renee Nicole Good?
The Star Tribune reported that Good was the mother of a 6-year-old child, citing Timmy Ray Macklin, the father of Good's former husband.
A GoFundMe that USA TODAY is working to verify says that donated funds will go toward Good's wife and son "as they grapple with the devastating loss of their wife and mother. It describes Good as "pure sunshine, pure love."
On her Instagram account, Good describes herself as a "poet and writer and wife and mom and (expletive) guitar strummer from Colorado" who was "experiencing Minneapolis."
What do we know about why Good was at immigration enforcement?
Details are few on what Good was doing at the immigration enforcement operation.
The Minneapolis City Council said in a statement to NPR that Good "was out caring for her neighbors" when the confrontation happened.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar described Good as a "legal observer." Legal observers often attend police actions to document and monitor law enforcement behavior − a common practice used by activists from the Black Panthers in the 1960s and 1970s to Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
A LinkedIn profile that appears to be Good's lists her as a working in real estate investment and property management and renovation.
Good's mother, Ganger, told the Tribune that her daughter wasn't “part of anything like that at all,” referring to protesters who have been obstructing ICE agents. She said her daughter "was probably terrified.”
Vigil held to honor Renee Nicole Good
About 1,000 people attended a vigil held in freezing temperatures on Wednesday night to honor Renee Nicole Good.
"We’re here today because this is a profound tragedy for Renee and her loved ones and her family," Minnesota State Rep. Aisha Gomez told the crowd.
Erin Stene, a community organizer in Minneapolis, said people are expected to be at the site for "as long as they need to be."
"I think people are grieving and processing," Stene said. "I think folks will be out here as long as they need to be."
A person places a flower at the site where a woman was reportedly shot and killed by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis.
City, state officials defend Renee Nicole Good
State Rep. Leigh Finke said in a statement obtained by the New York Times that Good was a cherished Minnesotan and a "loved and celebrated community member, who has now been stripped from her family."
City Mayor Jacob Frey said that he was "deeply sorry" to Good's family.
“There are no words that can make this moment better," he said. "Our hearts are with you.””
USA Today reports:
“ By now millions of people have seen the moment that an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
Good's defenders − including city and state leaders − are calling what happened on Jan. 7 an unjustified attack, while federal authorities say the agent was acting in self-defense. Already her death has become a lightning rod in an already tense and divided nation.
But whatever Good was trying to do amid an immigration enforcement operation that was unwelcomed by the city, she was more than the last seconds of her life.
Her mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Good lived with her partner in Minneapolis and was a compassionate woman who had "taken care of people all her life."
"She was loving, forgiving and affectionate," Ganger told the newspaper. "She was an amazing human being."
Though most of them had never heard of Good's name before Wednesday, hundreds of people attended a vigil in Good's honor hours after the shooting, chanting over and over again: "Say her name! Renee Good! Say her name! Renee Good!"
As Minneapolis and ICE grapple with the national spotlight on the confrontation that killed Good and the ensuing firestorm, USA TODAY is working to learn about who Good was and what drove her to go to the scene of what would become the site of her death.
Here's what we know so far.
What else do we know about Renee Nicole Good?
The Star Tribune reported that Good was the mother of a 6-year-old child, citing Timmy Ray Macklin, the father of Good's former husband.
A GoFundMe that USA TODAY is working to verify says that donated funds will go toward Good's wife and son "as they grapple with the devastating loss of their wife and mother. It describes Good as "pure sunshine, pure love."
On her Instagram account, Good describes herself as a "poet and writer and wife and mom and (expletive) guitar strummer from Colorado" who was "experiencing Minneapolis."
What do we know about why Good was at immigration enforcement?
Details are few on what Good was doing at the immigration enforcement operation.
The Minneapolis City Council said in a statement to NPR that Good "was out caring for her neighbors" when the confrontation happened.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar described Good as a "legal observer." Legal observers often attend police actions to document and monitor law enforcement behavior − a common practice used by activists from the Black Panthers in the 1960s and 1970s to Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
A LinkedIn profile that appears to be Good's lists her as a working in real estate investment and property management and renovation.
Good's mother, Ganger, told the Tribune that her daughter wasn't “part of anything like that at all,” referring to protesters who have been obstructing ICE agents. She said her daughter "was probably terrified.”
Vigil held to honor Renee Nicole Good
About 1,000 people attended a vigil held in freezing temperatures on Wednesday night to honor Renee Nicole Good.
"We’re here today because this is a profound tragedy for Renee and her loved ones and her family," Minnesota State Rep. Aisha Gomez told the crowd.
Erin Stene, a community organizer in Minneapolis, said people are expected to be at the site for "as long as they need to be."
"I think people are grieving and processing," Stene said. "I think folks will be out here as long as they need to be."
A person places a flower at the site where a woman was reportedly shot and killed by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis.
City, state officials defend Renee Nicole Good
State Rep. Leigh Finke said in a statement obtained by the New York Times that Good was a cherished Minnesotan and a "loved and celebrated community member, who has now been stripped from her family."
City Mayor Jacob Frey said that he was "deeply sorry" to Good's family.
“There are no words that can make this moment better," he said. "Our hearts are with you.””
