Tragic Death of Minneapolis Mother and Poet Spark Protests Against ICE

MINNEAPOLIS — A community is in mourning and local leaders are in an uproar following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and award-winning poet, by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday morning.

​The incident occurred near 34th Street and Portland Avenue during a large-scale federal immigration raid. It has ignited a fierce debate over the use of force and the presence of federal agents in the Twin Cities. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House have characterized the shooting as “self-defense” against an act of “domestic terrorism,” eyewitness accounts and emerging video footage present a more harrowing narrative of confusion and lethal escalation.

​Conflicting Orders and Fatal Force

​According to witnesses and video shared on social media, Good was in her maroon Honda Pilot when she was approached by agents wearing black masks. Bystanders report hearing conflicting commands: one agent ordered Good to leave the scene immediately, while another simultaneously demanded she exit the vehicle.

​As Good began to pull her car away, an ICE agent positioned near the front of the vehicle fired multiple shots through the windshield, striking her in the face.

​”She was already moving away,” one eyewitness told reporters. “An agent stepped in front, said ‘Stop,’ and then—point blank—shot her. Her wheels were clearly turned away from him.”

​After being struck, Good’s vehicle traveled a short distance before crashing into a parked car. Witnesses allege that agents blocked a nearby doctor from providing medical assistance for approximately 15 minutes as she lay slumped in her seat, surrounded by her 6-year-old son’s toys.

​A Family Left to Pick Up the Pieces

​Renee Nicole Good was a mother of three and an accomplished writer who won the Academy of American Poets Prize in 2020. She moved to Minneapolis recently to start a new chapter after the 2023 death of her husband, comedian Timothy Macklin.

​Her mother, Donna Ganger, described her as “the kindest person I’ve ever known,” adding that Renee was likely “terrified” by the masked agents. The shooting has left her youngest son orphaned. The boy’s grandfather, Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., told the Star Tribune: “There’s nobody else in his life. I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come and get my grandchild.”

​Political Fallout and Protests

​The administration has doubled down on the agents’ actions. In a statement on social media, the President claimed the agent was “violently, willfully, and viciously run over,” despite video footage appearing to show the agent walking away from the scene uninjured and securing his mask.

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​Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and the City Council have condemned the “chaos and violence” brought by federal agents, demanding that ICE leave the city immediately. “Anyone who kills someone in our city deserves to be investigated and prosecuted,” the Council said in a joint statement.

​The shooting occurred just blocks from where George Floyd was killed in 2020, adding a layer of historical trauma to the current unrest. Thousands gathered for a candlelight vigil Wednesday night, and further “nonviolent emergency protests” are scheduled for Thursday morning at Fort Snelling.