On the morning of January 7, 2026, a fatal encounter between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and a Minneapolis resident, Renee Nicole Good, unfolded on a city street, igniting a firestorm of controversy and grief that has reverberated across the Twin Cities and beyond. Good, a 37-year-old mother described by those who knew her as compassionate and community-minded, was shot and killed by an ICE agent during what federal officials have called an immigration enforcement operation. The incident, captured on multiple bystander videos and widely shared on social media, has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over federal immigration practices and the role of law enforcement in American cities.
According to KNSI and corroborated by Nexstar and Axios, the shooting occurred during a traffic stop involving an SUV near 34th Street & Portland Avenue in Minneapolis. Video footage shows an ICE officer approaching the stopped vehicle, demanding the driver, later identified as Good, open the door while grabbing at the handle. As the SUV began to pull forward, another ICE officer, positioned in front of the vehicle, drew his weapon and fired at least two shots at close range into the windshield. The officer then jumped back as the vehicle lurched forward, colliding with two parked cars before coming to a halt.
Bystanders reacted with horror and disbelief as the events unfolded. Witnesses could be heard screaming obscenities, expressing shock at what they saw as an excessive use of force. Lynette Reini-Grandell, a resident who recorded the incident on her phone, told The Associated Press, "She was driving away and they killed her." Emergency medical technicians rushed to the scene and attempted to administer aid, but Good was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, police said.
Good's mother, Donna Ganger, spoke to the Star Tribune and several news outlets, painting a picture of her daughter as "one of the kindest people I’ve ever known." Ganger emphasized that Good was "not part of anything like [protests challenging ICE agents] at all." She continued, "She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being." Good leaves behind a six-year-old son, whose father, Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., died in 2023.
The Minneapolis City Council released a joint statement mourning Good’s death and calling for accountability. "Renee was a resident of our city who was out caring for her neighbors this morning and her life was taken today at the hands of the federal government," the statement read. The council went further, demanding, "Anyone who kills someone in our city deserves to be arrested, investigated, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Echoing the anger of many city officials, the council called for ICE to leave Minneapolis "immediately."
The city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, did not mince words in his own condemnation of the shooting and the federal response. After watching the video, Frey declared, "Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bull—." He called the killing "reckless" and "unnecessary," and accused federal authorities of attempting to "spin this as an action of self-defense." Frey’s frustration was palpable: "We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being here in this city was to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt, families are being ripped apart, longtime Minneapolis residents who have contributed so greatly are being terrorized, and now someone is dead. That’s on you."
Federal officials, however, offered a starkly different narrative. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), stated, "An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots." McLaughlin went further, describing Good as a "violent rioter" who "weaponized her vehicle … in an attempt to kill the agents." She characterized the incident as an "act of domestic terrorism."
The divide between local and federal accounts was further widened by comments from President Donald Trump, who weighed in on Truth Social. Trump described Good as "a professional agitator" who was "very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense." He defended the actions of law enforcement, asserting, "We need to stand by and protect our Law Enforcement Officers from this Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate!"
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also entered the fray, promising a "full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice." Walz criticized DHS’s characterization of Good, urging the public, "Don’t believe this (DHS) propaganda machine." At a news conference, Walz expressed alarm that local officials were not notified before 2,000 federal agents and officers were deployed to Minneapolis. "We’re not living in a normal world," he remarked.
Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., released a statement describing ICE’s actions as "unconscionable and reprehensible" and referred to Good as a "legal observer." Omar charged, "This administration has shown, yet again, that it does not care about the safety of Minnesotans. Instead of protecting our communities, they are unleashing violence – terrorizing neighborhoods and now killing a civilian."
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, whose officers responded to the scene, said there was no indication that Good was the target of any enforcement activity by federal agents. O’Hara expressed deep concern over the tactics used by ICE, stating, "I am obviously very concerned that I have been told that a woman who was sitting in her car blocking the street and not the target of any enforcement activity is now deceased." He confirmed that lifesaving measures, including CPR, were conducted at the scene, but Good succumbed to her injuries. The FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have launched investigations into the incident.
The shooting has further inflamed already tense relations between local and federal authorities over ICE’s enforcement operations in the Twin Cities. Thousands gathered in South Minneapolis on the day of the shooting to mourn Good’s death, holding vigils and signs in her honor. State Representative Leigh Finke described Good as "a queer woman, a loved and celebrated community member, who has now been stripped away from her family."
As investigations continue, the city of Minneapolis remains on edge, with many residents demanding answers and accountability. The tragic death of Renee Nicole Good has become a rallying point for those questioning the presence and methods of federal immigration enforcement in American cities—a debate that shows no sign of abating.
