The family of a woman fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minnesota last week has addressed allegations regarding her supposed criminal history.
Renee Nicole Good, a poet and mother of three, was killed when ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot her three times in the face last Wednesday. The incident occurred during a protest when Good allegedly ignored orders to exit her vehicle, reversed it, and attempted to flee.
Following her death, some have claimed that Good had a criminal background and accused her of committing ‘domestic terrorism’ by allegedly trying to hit Ross with her car, as stated by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Trump, and other leading figures.
However, Good’s family disputes these characterizations, insisting that they do not reflect who she truly was, describing the negative remarks about her as unwarranted.
“I’ve kept quiet because I wanted to give our family time to craft a statement, and now it’s ready. You never expect a loved one’s death to become such a public and politically charged issue,” wrote Morgan Fletcher, Good’s sister-in-law, on Facebook this Monday.
“Regardless of the circumstances, she was family. Cole’s mother and my sister-in-law. Now, our nephew is left without parents,” added Fletcher, who is related to Good’s deceased ex-husband, Timmy Macklin Jr.
‘And we’ve seen the false claims and the wrong Renee Good’s info being posted (criminal history? She didn’t have one),’ Fletcher wrote.
Good’s friends have claimed she became involved in activism through her six-year-old son’s charter school and its local ‘ICE Watch group,’ which is a coalition of activists who seek to disrupt immigration raids.
Renee Nicole Good’s family has hit back at claims that the late mother-of-three had a criminal past in an emotional post on Monday
Good was shot three times in the face by ICE agent Jonathan Rosson on Wednesday after she ignored demands to get out of her car, reversed it, and tried to drive off during a protest
Following her death, which has been highly publicized across the nation and drawn political controversy, Good’s family said they want society to understand that she was a human being.
‘No matter where you stand on the issue of ICE or whether or not you think she did or didn’t deserve what happened, please remember she was a human being and she had loved ones… including children who can and will likely see all of these things about their mother… and her wife, whom she loved dearly.
‘Please remember to BE KIND. And if you claim to be a Christian, especially, please check your heart, attitude, and response to the tragic death. For they will know you by your fruits,’ Fletcher said.
In a full statement made by the family, Good was remembered as someone who ‘was full of heart and never defined by malice.’
‘Thank you to everyone who has shown up, spoken out, and held space for the family during this incredibly difficult time,’ the statement read.
‘We know Renee would be there too, cheering on those who fight for justice and standing with the people, causes, and community she loved. We hope this inspires accountability, compassion, and meaningful change so that fewer families have to endure this kind of pain.’
Nearly a week after her death, federal investigators are reportedly investigating her possible connection with activist groups protesting Trump’s immigration crackdown.
FBI investigators – who have kicked local police off the probe and are now leading it – have said they are conducting a thorough inquiry into the fatal shooting, including an analysis of the actions Ross took as well as physical evidence like the handgun used to kill Good.
Good with her former husband, Tim Macklin Jr., who died in 2023
FBI investigators have said they are conducting a thorough inquiry into the fatal shooting, including an analysis of the actions Ross (pictured) took as well as physical evidence like the handgun used to kill Good
Those familiar with the investigation reportedly told The New York Times that the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, which typically investigates police-involved shootings, has not opened a probe into whether Ross violated Good’s rights under federal law.
Ross is ‘increasingly unlikely’ to face criminal charges, the Times reported.
Instead, the Justice Department is reportedly planning to look into a wide group of activists who took part in a Minneapolis neighborhood ICE watch activities, believing they were ‘instigators’ of the shooting.
It remains unclear whether Good was involved in any activism in Minneapolis besides participating in the protest against ICE actions on the day that she was killed; however, the FBI is reportedly determined to find out.
Witnesses have said Good and her wife, Rebecca, were acting as legal observers and filming the protest.
In harrowing footage from the scene, Rebecca admitted she encouraged Good to confront agents. ‘I made her come down here, it’s my fault,’ she cried.
In surveillance footage, Good was seen apparently blocking the road with her SUV for four minutes before she was killed.
About 20 seconds after Good pulled up to the street, a passenger – believed to be her wife Rebecca – exited the vehicle and eventually began filming.
At the time of her death, Good was married to wife Rebecca. Witnesses said they were acting as legal observers and filming the protest
There is speculation that Rebecca, who admitted to bringing her spouse to the anti-ICE protest, exited the car so she could begin filming any potential clash with federal agents.
She was seen wielding her camera during Ross’s confrontation with her wife but it is unclear when she first started to record.
Other footage from the shooting shows an officer approaching Good’s stopped SUV. He grabbed the handle as he allegedly demanded she open the door.
Her Honda Pilot then began to pull forward and Ross pulled his weapon, immediately firing three shots and jumping back as the vehicle moved toward him.
It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with Ross. After the shooting, the SUV slammed into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.
Almost immediately after the shooting, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Good’s actions as ‘an act of domestic terrorism’ as she defended Ross as an experienced law enforcement professional who followed his training.
She claimed he shot Good after he believed she was trying to run him or other agents over with her vehicle.
President Trump also called the Good a ‘professional agitator’ and claimed she was shot in ‘self-defense.’
He then reiterated that message on Sunday, saying Good was ‘very violent’ and ‘very radical,’ calling her and her wife ‘professional agitators’ and suggesting that federal authorities would ‘find out who’s paying for it.’
Experts in domestic terrorism cases now say the Trump administration jumped the gun in claiming that Good was a ‘domestic terrorist’ and failed to follow traditional procedures for determining whether a case should be classified as domestic terrorism.
‘There used to be a process, deliberate and considered, to figure out if behavior could be legitimately described as domestic terrorism,’ Thomas E Brzozowski, former counsel for domestic terrorism in the Justice Department’s national security division, told the Times.
‘And when it’s not followed, then the term becomes little more than a political cudgel to bash one’s enemies.’
