Daijiworld Media Network - Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Jan 9: Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old woman shot dead by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, has been remembered as a loving mother, poet and compassionate human being, even as anger and questions mount over the circumstances of her killing.

Good, a US citizen, was killed on Wednesday morning when an ICE agent fired into her vehicle during an encounter on a snow-lined street. According to media reports, she had just dropped her six-year-old son at school before the incident.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that Good attempted to “weaponise her vehicle” to run over an officer, prompting the agent to open fire. However, state and local officials have strongly disputed this version, asserting that the shooting, which was captured on video, was not an act of self-defence.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions in Minneapolis following the deployment of around 2,000 federal agents as part of the Trump administration’s renewed immigration enforcement drive.

Good’s family described her as an “amazing human being”. Her mother, Donna Ganger, said she was one of the kindest and most compassionate people she had known. “She took care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate,” she said.

Born in Colorado, Good moved to Minnesota last year and lived in the Twin Cities with her partner. A mother of three, she had two children aged 15 and 12 from her first marriage, while the father of her youngest child passed away in 2023. “She had a good life, but a hard life,” her father said, describing her as a wonderful person.

Neighbours in south Minneapolis recalled Good as a warm and welcomed presence in the community. Her home still displayed holiday decorations, while signs of support appeared in nearby windows. Residents spoke of her children’s sidewalk drawings and her young son’s friendly interactions with neighbours.

A devout Christian, Good loved music and poetry. She participated in youth mission trips, studied vocal performance, and later earned an English degree from Old Dominion University in 2020. Her poetry won the university’s American Academy of Poets Prize, with professors remembering her as a gifted writer who wrote empathetically about others.

Hours after the shooting, residents gathered near the scene for a vigil, chanting Good’s name and demanding accountability. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey urged calm and unity, while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz offered condolences and said the state would pursue justice in the case.