An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 during an incident captured in multiple video clips, including one that appeared to show her wife crying in distress, drawing widespread condemnation from elected officials and activists.
Renee Nicole Good, 37, was driving a maroon Honda Pilot SUV that had stopped in the middle of a road when federal agents began approaching the vehicle. Bystanders, by that point, had already voiced their disdain for the federal agents, with one person overheard telling them to “go home to Texas,” according to a video analysis conducted by the New York Times.
One agent who approached Good’s vehicle directed her to “get out of the f—ing car” and unsuccessfully tried opening the driver’s side door, at which point the vehicle moved in reverse and then sped forward and turned away, apparently to flee the scene. As the vehicle moved forward, an agent fatally shot her.
A separate video clip showed a person who identified herself as Good’s wife sitting near the vehicle and crying in distress. Some news outlets have reported that the victim’s wife’s name is Rebecca Good.
“They killed my wife,” the person stated while sitting near the vehicle, according to the Advocate. “I don’t know what to do. We stopped to videotape, and they shot her in the head.”
In the same clip, the person stated that the couple had a 6-year-old child. A GoFundMe page intended to raise money for Good’s wife and child has generated more than $618,000 as of Jan. 8.
Good described herself on her now-private Instagram account as a “poet and writer and wife and mom” and featured a Rainbow Flag emoji, according to The Associated Press and other sources. Multiple reports have said Good was previously married to two different men.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to Gay City News’ request for comment on Jan. 8. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the officer involved in the shooting on the evening of Jan. 7, calling the incident a “tragedy” while also saying that the officer “did exactly what he’s been taught to do in that situation.”
Vice President JD Vance cast blame on the victim, writing on X that people “can accept that this woman’s death is a tragedy while acknowledging it’s a tragedy of her own making.”
“Don’t illegally interfere in federal law enforcement operations and try to run over our officers with your car. It’s really that simple,” he added.
Videos and news reports about the fatal shooting quickly circulated, prompting immediate blowback from political figures and activists who wasted little time in organizing public demonstrations to denounce ICE. Activists marched through New York City the same evening as part of an emergency demonstration led by Hands Off NYC and other groups.
“After they shot her, there was a doctor…who tried to get to her to treat her, the ICE agents refused to let… in,” said Rise and Resist’s Jay W. Walker, who is a lead organizer of the Reclaim Pride Coalition’s Queer Liberation March. “ICE put their vehicles between the ambulance and Renee Nicole Good to prevent them from delivering what might have saved her life. She was murdered.”
Queens Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, who co-chairs the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, also spoke out in the aftermath of the shooting and denounced ICE’s actions.
“I love my immigrant neighbors,” Cabán said. “This is fascism, and second, we’re gonna fight it. We must abolish ICE. We must abolish this unaccountable, unlawful, violent masked force that kidnaps our neighbors, holds families at gunpoint, and now murders community members responding in defense of their neighbors.”
Manhattan Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who also co-chairs the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, blasted the shooting in a post on X.
“Renee Nicole Good, a mother of a 6-year-old child, was shot in the head at point-blank range by an ICE agent,” Bottcher wrote. “For a year, we’ve been saying that these reckless, militarized, showboat operations do not make our communities safer. They do the opposite. They escalate routine encounters into deadly situations, terrorize families, destabilize neighborhoods, and cost lives. This is not law enforcement. It is performative cruelty designed for political theater, with devastating human consequences. Our hearts go out to the loved ones of Renee Nicole Good.”
On the afternoon of Jan. 7, out gay Congressmember Ritchie Torres of the Bronx demanded an immediate investigation.
“A fatal ICE operation in Minneapolis is the latest proof of an agency out of control under Trump’s watch,” Torres wrote. “Lethal force demands immediate accountability and transparency. We need an independent investigation now. This is unacceptable.”
Out lesbian Congressmember Angie Craig of Minnesota, who represents the southern part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, said on X that “ICE must leave Minnesota — NOW” and subsequently called on Congress to take action.
“Renee Nicole Good was a loving daughter, friend, mother, and partner who should still be alive today,” Craig wrote. “I’m outraged and devastated that she isn’t. Renee and her family deserve justice. Americans deserve answers and accountability. I’m always going to stand up and say exactly what needs to be said – it’s Congress’ job to reign [sic] in this reckless administration.”
