DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Provides Statement After an ICE Officer Fatally Shoots a 37-Year-Old Woman in Minneapolis

A federal statement has been issued on a fatal shooting by an immigration officer, but Minneapolis residents are pushing back on the government's account.

An incident with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis on January 7, 2025, left a woman dead, a federal officer injured, and tensions are rising.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem publicly defended the ICE agent involved just hours after the incident. Her remarks have drawn immediate criticism from community members.

The Federal Version of Events

As reported by the Star Tribune, Noem, speaking at the federal building in Fort Snelling that evening, presented the DHS's account of the events leading to the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.

According to Noem, ICE agents were attempting to free a government vehicle stuck in the snow around 10:30 a.m. in south Minneapolis when a group began shouting and surrounding them. Noem described the crowd as a "mob of agitators."

Good, identified by her family as the woman killed, remained inside a vehicle and refused repeated orders to exit, Noem said. "She proceeded to weaponize her vehicle, and she attempted to run a law enforcement officer over," Noem stated.

An ICE agent then fired his weapon. Noem defended the shooting, saying the officer acted in self-defense and followed established training protocols. The agent, reportedly struck by Good's vehicle, was treated at a hospital and released later that day.

Noem acknowledged the loss of life and said she had discussed the "preventable" shooting with President Donald Trump and Governor Tim Walz, and she described the driver's actions to an "act of domestic terrorism."

She also cited four vehicle-related attacks on federal officers that day, including three in the Twin Cities. Noem added that the agent involved in the Minneapolis shooting had previously been injured during an anti-ICE protest in June.

Donald Trump Weighs In

For his part, Trump also responded to the shooting. In a Truth Social post, he called the incident "horrible" and said the video of the event showed a "professional agitator" screaming, while the driver, Good, acted "violently, willfully, and viciously."

"The woman driving the car 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," the president wrote in part. "The reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis."

The Mayor's Response

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey strongly criticized federal immigration authorities following the fatal shooting, calling for ICE agents to leave the city.

His comments came in response to the DHS statement describing the incident as an act of "domestic terrorism" and claiming that the ICE agent had acted in self-defense after the driver, Renee Nicole Good, allegedly attempted to strike officers with her vehicle.

At a news conference, Frey rejected that account. "We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt, families are being ripped apart," he said.

Frey also called the DHS statement that the shooting happened in self-defense "garbage." He claimed ICE was "creating the kind of dysfunction and chaos that they claimed to be trying to help with."

Former FBI Agent's POV

Former FBI agent and CNN Senior Correspondent Josh Campbell offered an interpretation of the incident based on bystander video footage.

He said, "It appears to just before the shots are fired, the front wheels on that vehicle turn to the right, that's an indication obviously to us, from that vantage point, that the driver is about to move out of the location toward the right."

The Community's Reaction

On the evening following the incident, community members held a vigil in Good's honor and rejected the federal account. Speakers described her as someone who stood up for others.

"She was peaceful, she did the right thing," said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations – Minnesota (CAIR-MN). "She died because she loved her neighbors."

Another speaker, who identified himself only as Noah, pushed back against Noem's description of Good as a "domestic terrorist." He claimed Good had gone to Portland Avenue that morning not to cause harm, but "to watch the terrorists," referring to federal immigration agents.

The Aftermath

In the hours after the shooting, a viral video showed a blood-covered woman who identified herself as Good's wife. She was visibly distraught and sobbing near the scene of the crash. "I made her come down here, it's my fault," the woman cried.

A GoFundMe campaign launched by organizer Mattie Weiss is now raising support for Good's family. "Please support the wife and son of Renee Good as they grapple with the devastating loss of their wife and mother," the campaign reads. "Renee was pure sunshine, pure love. She will be desperately missed."

As officials and community members continue to offer sharply differing accounts of what unfolded, earlier reporting detailed the moments leading up to the fatal shooting and its immediate aftermath.

ICE Operation Ends in Deadly Gunfire

As reported by KARE 11, the incident occurred at the intersection of 34th Street and Portland Avenue in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE agents were conducting "targeted operations" when they were allegedly confronted by individuals attempting to interfere.

DHS spokesperson and assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said a woman "weaponized her vehicle" and tried to run over officers. She added:

"An ICE officer fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow officers and the lives of the public, fired defensive shots, used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers. The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. Thankfully, the ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries."

A video shared online shows a burgundy SUV surrounded by law enforcement agents. Gunshots are heard before the vehicle crashes into a light pole. A bullet hole is visible in the driver's side windshield. Two parked cars appear to have been struck.

A witness told the same news outlet that the woman seemed to be fleeing from ICE agents when she was shot. The scene quickly filled with law enforcement and shocked neighbors.

Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh stated on X that he received reports of a doctor being prevented by federal agents from administering lifesaving CPR.

Fateh, along with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, several city council members, and faith leaders, visited the scene shortly after the shooting.

Victim Identified as Local Poet and Mother

The woman was later identified as Good. Her family confirmed her identity. The Minneapolis City Council issued a public statement mourning her death:

"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. Anyone who kills someone in our city deserves to be arrested, investigated, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.."

On Instagram, Good described herself as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a poet, a writer, a wife, and a mother originally from Colorado. She also described herself as a guitar player.

Her creative work gained recognition in 2020, when she received Old Dominion University's undergraduate poetry prize for her piece "On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs," while studying creative writing in Norfolk, Virginia.

In the years that followed, she settled in Minneapolis, where she lived just a few blocks from the site of the fatal shooting.

Family, Neighbors Struggle to Process Sudden Loss

According to the Star Tribune, Good's mother, Donna Ganger, said the family had been notified of her death late Wednesday morning. After hearing some of the details surrounding the shooting, Ganger expressed disbelief and heartbreak. "That's so stupid," she said. "She was probably terrified."

Ganger also stated that her daughter had no involvement with any protest activity or confrontations with federal agents. She described Good as one of the kindest people she’d ever known.

"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," Ganger explained.

Ganger's daughter had previously been married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who died in 2023 at the age of 36. The two shared a child, now six years old.

Macklin's father, Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., said he was shocked to learn of Good's death and expressed concern for his grandson's future. "There’s nobody else in his life," he said. "I'll drive. I'll fly. To come and get my grandchild."

In the Powderhorn Park neighborhood, residents mourned alongside friends and family. Neighbors salted the sidewalks to manage the heavy foot traffic from mourners. While many declined to speak about the tragedy, Mary Radford, 27, who lived next door to Good, shared emotional memories of the family.

Radford said she got home around 7 p.m. and found the neighborhood crowded with people who had come to grieve. She spoke warmly of the Good family, describing them as kind and close-knit.

Good's young son, Radford noted, was especially sweet and loved playing outside. He was particularly fond of her dog, often running over to pet and play with her whenever they passed by.

Though the Goods had moved in only recently, Radford reflected on meaningful conversations and a warm neighborly bond.

"We're gonna miss seeing them — forever," Radford said. "It is so painful to think about how he's gonna fare in his life. And I just can't even imagine what that family is going through." Fighting back tears, she added, "I wish I could have known her more."