On January 7, 2026, Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, was fatally shot by a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Good was in her car at the scene of an ongoing ICE operation when she was approached by agents who, according to an eyewitness, gave conflicting orders.[5] As Good began to leave the scene, an agent reached into the driver side window. A separate agent then fired three shots killing Good as she moved the vehicle forward.
Federal officials and President Donald Trump defended the shooting, saying the agent acted in self-defense and that Good had attempted to run him over.[6] This account has been contested by eyewitnesses, journalists' analysis of video footage,[7] local figures, and Democratic Party lawmakers, with the latter having called for a criminal investigation.[8] Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota governor Tim Walz called on the federal government to end their presence in the city. Thousands of people have protested in Minneapolis,[9] and more have protested in other cities including Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C.[5]
On January 6, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced what it called the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out, sending 2,000 agents to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The surge included Homeland Security Investigations officers focused on suspected fraud. Saint Paul City Council member Molly Coleman described the first day of the action as "unlike any other day we've experienced".[10][11] An eyewitness to the shooting said, "People in our neighborhood have been terrorized by ICE for six weeks."[12] The killing of Good was the ninth time that ICE agents had opened fire on people since September 2025.[13] Four other people have been killed during federal deportation operations.[14]
Renée Nicole Macklin Good[b] was a 37-year-old US citizen.[19] She was a writer and poet[20][21] from Colorado Springs, Colorado,[22] who lived in Minneapolis with her wife and six-year-old child.[23][20][24] According to a neighbor, Good had previously lived in Kansas City, Missouri, before relocating to Canada along with her partner and family following Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election. Later, she moved to Minneapolis.[25] Good had been married twice before. She and her first husband were married from 2009 to 2016 and had two children; she and her second husband had a single child. Her second husband died in 2023 at the age of 36.[26][27] She graduated with an English degree from Old Dominion University.[26] Good was described by CNN as a "devoted Christian".[28]
DHS security secretary Kristi Noem alleged that Good had been "stalking and impeding ICE all day" prior to the 9:30 AM shooting.[22] Several Minnesota state officials, including Minnesota attorney generalKeith Ellison,[29] said Good was acting as a legal observer of ICE's activities at the time of the incident.[22][30]
Good's ex-husband said that Good had dropped her son off at school and was on her way home "when they came upon a group of ICE agents".[31][32][33] Good's ex-husband and mother said that Good was not involved with protests challenging ICE activities; her ex-husband said, "she was not an activist".[33][20]
A fundraiser campaign on GoFundMe started by Good's family was closed on January 9 after reaching more than $1.5 million in donations. The family stated that the money would be placed in a trust fund for the family.[34]
ICE agent
The day after the shooting, the Minnesota Star Tribune identified the ICE agent involved as Jonathan Ross.[2] His name has not been publicly released by federal authorities, but was identified by the Tribune through court records.[3][4] In press briefings held soon after the incident, both secretary of DHS Kristi Noem and Vice President JD Vance mentioned that the shooting suspect had been injured previously in a traffic stop six months prior to this incident. Their statements led to the Star Tribune's discovery of the case describing such an incident.[2][35][36] The previous incident involving Ross occured on June 17, 2025, when he was dragged 50 yards and injured by a vehicle after he smashed the window of the vehicle and reached in to try to unlock the door; Ross received 33 stitches.[37][2][38] Court documents listed his start date with ICE as 2016.[39] He was in the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) unit of ICE at the time of the shooting and had previously been deployed during the Iraq War.[36] His father described him as a conservative Christian, and a neighbor said that he had supported Trump during the 2024 election and at one point had flown the Gadsden flag outside his home.[40][41]
The killing of Good took place on Portland Avenue between East 33rd and 34th Streets in the Central neighborhood of Minneapolis, a few blocks from Good's home.[20][43] At 09:35:05CST (UTC−06:00), Good's vehicle was stopped on Portland Avenue as she began to turn the vehicle, and she allowed four cars to pass her in the open adjacent lane.[1]
At 09:36:51, Good's wife exited the vehicle and spoke with an ICE agent in the street as they recorded each other on cell phones, while Good stopped the car as the agent moved in front of it.[1] Good repeatedly waved for ICE vehicles to pass by her, when two agents exited their vehicle and ordered her to exit her car.[44][13] At 09:36:58, an ICE Ford Explorer entered Portland Ave, Good waved it to pass her car, and it did.[1] According to witnesses,[dubious–discuss] at 09:37:08,[1] four ICE agents from two vehicles approached a maroon Honda Pilot that was blocking one lane of the avenue.[45][19] Videos of the incident showed two agents approaching Good's car, which was stopped sideways in the road.[46] Seconds later, Good was ordered to "get out of the car" as she concurrently put the car in reverse; while the car was already in motion, an ICE agent placed his hand on the open window of Good's moving vehicle.[1]
Eyewitnesses and videos show that ICE agents were giving conflicting orders to her. One agent told Good to drive away from the scene, while another shouted at her to get out of the car.[5][47] Based on three recordings of the incident shared online, two agents walked to Good's car. Someone was heard on video recordings saying "get out of the fucking car".[48] While Good's car stopped at the first agent's request, a third agent, later identified as Jonathan Ross, took video with a cell phone as he walked to the front-left of Good's car.[1]
The video captured part of the encounter. In the footage, Ross was at the front of the car and then walked toward the driver's seat. Good is seen facing Ross and telling him that, “That’s fine dude. I’m not mad at you,” while her wife, Becca, says to Ross, “We don’t change our plates every morning, just so you know. This will be the same plate when you come talk to us later.” Becca then pulls out a cellphone, holds it toward Ross, and says, “You wanna come at us? You wanna come at us? I say go get yourself some lunch, big boy.”[49]
Ross was positioned near the front-left of the vehicle as another agent at the driver's door attempted to open the door of the car and reach through the open window. As Good's spouse attempted to get back into the passenger seat, [50] Good reversed briefly and then began to drive forward, away from the agents while turning the steering wheel. Good's wife was heard yelling "Drive, baby, drive!".[51] The car began to drive forward and to the right, away from Ross. Ross then drew his gun and shot Good in the head, firing three shots into the car as it moved past him.[52][53][54]ABC News confirmed that Ross fired his weapon at Good at 09:37:13.[1] The three shots were fired into Good's car as it withdrew in under one second of elapsed time.[1]
It is unclear whether the vehicle ever came into contact with the shooter; separate analyses of the video footage by The Washington Post and the BBC News were inconclusive, while an analysis by The New York Times concluded that the agent was not struck.[55][7][54]The Times of London reported that before the shooting, Good was steering her car to the right and away from Ross, and driving away.[50][56]
After the shooting, the car continued down the street until it crashed into a parked car and light pole.[44][13][48][57] Seconds later, a male voice said, "fucking bitch." This comment was audible in Ross's recording.[50]
The shooter told other agents to "call 911" and remained on scene for more than a minute.[54][5][47][7]The New York Times reported in their analysis of a video of the incident that after the shooting "several agents, including the agent who opened fire, [got] in their vehicles and [drove] off, apparently altering the active crime scene."[7] DHS secretary Kristi Noem alleged that the ICE agent who fired the shots was treated at a hospital for being "hit by the vehicle" and was later released.[58]
ICE agents refused to permit a bystander who identified himself as a physician to provide medical aid to Good, saying that first responders were en route. At 09:43:14, six minutes after the first shot was fired, EMS and firefighters arrived, began removing Good from her vehicle, and attempted to render aid.[1] By 09:45:30, Good was carried to Portland Avenue and 34th Street, where she began receiving CPR, eight minutes after being shot.[1] Seven minutes later, around 09:52, Good's body was placed into an ambulance.[1]
On January 8, the head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension disclosed that the FBI had revoked their access to evidence of the shooting, reversing an earlier agreement that a joint investigation would be undertaken by the BCA and FBI.[60] Minnesota's Public Safety Commissioner said "it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible" for local investigation to continue "without cooperation from the federal government".[61] Minneapolis's chief county prosecutor Mary Moriarty said her office was "exploring all options to ensure a state level investigation can continue".[62]
The ICE agents at the scene were equipped with body-worn cameras, but that footage has not yet been released to the public.[63]
Anti-ICE protest in Manhattan the day after Good was killed
Good's death occurred about one mile (1.6km) from the location where George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020, which sparked worldwide protests over police brutality and racial justice.[66] Good's killing drew a crowd of hundreds of protestors to the location.[67] Federal law enforcement fired tear gas and pepper spray in Minneapolis, and some protestors threw snowballs.[68] At a press conference, Governor Walz announced he had begun preparing the Minnesota National Guard.[68] By the evening, the crowd at the location where Good was killed grew to thousands, including members of the Minneapolis City Council.[9] Protestors also gathered in many other cities across the country.[c]
On January 8, a crowd of people barricaded the street in Minneapolis where Good was killed to hold a vigil in her memory.[92] City workers removed the barricades shortly after, but preserved a memorial established.[93] More protests occurred elsewhere, including in Buffalo,[94]Chapel Hill,[95]Durham,[96] Kansas City,[97] and Los Angeles.[98]
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin alleged that an ICE officer "fearing for his life" had shot the woman in self-defense after she allegedly attempted to run them over in what McLaughlin described as "an act of domestic terrorism".[43] After the release of camera phone footage taken by Ross, McLaughlin said "The American people can watch this video with their own eyes and ears and judge for themselves."[99][100][101][102] DHS claimed several Federal agents were injured but were expected to recover. A report published by The Guardian the same day said there were "no visible sign in the videos" of injuries to ICE officers in the incident.[11]
United States president Donald Trump described Good as "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".[103] He went on to say that he found it "hard to believe [the agent] is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital".[104] The ICE officer in question remained on his feet throughout the entirety of the incident.[105] When reporters with The New York Times questioned his conclusion during an interview in the Oval Office, Trump showed them a video of the incident. The reporters remarked that the video did not show the officer being run over, and he responded, "Well, I—the way I look at it", and then said, "It's a terrible scene, I think it's horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it."[106] Vice President JD Vance called Good's death "a tragedy of her own making" and called her "a victim of left-wing ideology".[35] DHS Secretary Kristi Noem alleged that Good "attacked [ICE] and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively shot to protect himself and the people around him."[48] The day after, Noem announced Operation Salvo, which would increase ICE presence in New York City.[107]
By January 8, 2026, ICE was still conducting raids in Minneapolis, extending south into neighboring Richfield.[110][111]
Local officials
Speaking at a press conference on the afternoon of the killing, Minnesota governor Tim Walz called it "the consequences of governance designed to generate fear, headlines and conflict" and added "we do not need any further help from the federal government".[112] Walz announced that he was ordering the state's National Guard to adopt a state of preparedness.[113]
In response to DHS statements that the driver was "weaponizing" her car to run over an ICE agent, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey noted that the video footage of the incident did not appear to suggest this, stating: "Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bullshit" and "To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis".[44] The Minneapolis Police Department activated mutual aid from surrounding jurisdictions and bolstered local law enforcement resources as a precautionary response to any potential civil unrest.[114]
Walz proclaimed January 9, 2026, to be "Renee Good Day."[115]
The Economist noted that previous DHS self-defense assertions in cases of seemingly excessive force "have been repeatedly debunked", with evidence in federal court showing that "Border Patrol agents involved in such confrontations" in Chicago the previous year "lied under oath and exaggerated the threat from protesters in order to justify their aggression."[116]
Witness accounts
PBS News Hour interviewed an eyewitness to the shooting who said "My interpretation at the time and still is that the person was trying to get away, and there was definitely space to drive forward without hitting anybody.... [A]t the time, I did not even think there was a risk of her hitting anybody."[117] Another eyewitness told MPR News, "I just can't be more clear that she posed absolutely no threat at all. From what I could tell it looked like she was attempting to leave."[5] Analysis of video footage by The New York Times corroborates that Good was driving away from the agent.[7]
CNN interviewed other eyewitnesses. One of them said that Good was pulling away when "An ICE agent stepped in front of her vehicle and said, 'Stop!' and then—I mean, she was already moving—and then, point blank, shot her through her windshield in the face."[118] Another resident described the incident by stating that "[Good's] car backed up slowly and proceeded to pull forward pretty slowly [...] Then the agent who fired the weapon was on the opposite side of the car to me and I heard four, possibly five shots, and then the car sped forward because... this person's injured and their foot went down."[118] A nearby resident said that, after he heard Good's car smash, he went outside and saw Good's wife "covered in blood" and sitting in front of the building, crying, "You guys just killed my wife."[118][119][32]
Notes
↑Sources have identified Ross[2] by cross-referencing statements made by federal officials concerning a dragging incident the shooter was involved in with court documents. His name has not been released by federal authorities.[3][4]
↑Sources differ on the spelling and composition of her name. Good used the accented form "Renée" in her poetry and social media.[15][16] As of 2023, her legal name was "Renee Nicole Macklin Good".[17] Hospital records obtained by the Associated Press spelled her name as "Renae Macklin-Good".[18]
↑Santana, Rebecca; Balsamo, Mike (January 6, 2026). "Homeland Security plans 2,000 officers in Minnesota for its 'largest immigration operation ever'". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 7, 2026. Retrieved January 6, 2026. The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it launched what it described as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out by the agency — with 2,000 federal agents and officers expected in the Minneapolis area for a crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.
12Bjornson, Greta (January 8, 2025). "Renee Good Dropped 6-Year-Old off at School Before Encountering ICE with Partner". Archived from the original on January 9, 2026. Good, 37, was driving back home from school drop-off with her current partner on Wednesday, Jan. 7, when they came upon a group of ICE agents, her ex-husband told The Associated Press. The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said Good and her partner had moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Mo. Good's ex-husband said that she was not an activist, and had not taken part in protests in the past, to his knowledge.
↑Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (January 8, 2026). "We Pressed Trump on His Conclusion About the ICE Shooting. Here's What He Said". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2026. As a slow-motion surveillance video of the shooting played on the laptop, we told him that this angle did not appear to show an ICE officer had been run over. / 'Well,' Trump said. 'I — the way I look at it … .' / 'It's a terrible scene,' Trump said at the end of the video. 'I think it's horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it.'
↑"The "terrorist" killed by ICE was a mum in her SUV". The Economist. January 8, 2026. Retrieved January 8, 2026. DHS's assertions in the past have been repeatedly debunked. Witness testimony, social-media videos and body-cam footage shown during hearings in federal court in Chicago last year revealed that Border Patrol agents involved in such confrontations lied under oath and exaggerated the threat from protesters in order to justify their aggression
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