An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minneapolis ended with the death of Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman who was shot by a federal agent while in her vehicle. The incident occurred at the intersection of East 34th Street and Portland Avenue, in a sector of the city where the presence of security forces has been constant in recent days due to a series of immigration arrests.
Details of the police incident in Minneapolis
The incident occurred last Monday during a security deployment. Initially, sources from the federal administration indicated that the agent fired because the woman tried to drive her car towards the officers. However, this version was questioned by local authorities in Minneapolis. Police Chief Brian O’Hara clarified in a statement that Good was not the target of any investigation or ongoing operation.
According to neighbors’ testimonies and police reports, the woman’s vehicle was parked perpendicular to the traffic, a situation that occurs frequently in the area when official convoys block the streets. The governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, confirmed that an investigation is underway to clarify the exact circumstances in which the officer decided to fire his weapon.
Who was Renée Nicole Good
Renée Nicole Good was a U.S. citizen and resident of the city. Her family described her to the local media as a person dedicated to her surroundings and to writing. In 2020, she had won recognition for her poetic work at Old Dominion University in Virginia: in her personal profiles she presented herself primarily as a mother and writer.
Good’s personal situation was marked by the recent loss of her husband, Timmy Ray Macklin Jr, who passed away in 2023. With him she had a son who is now between 4 and 5 years old, and who after this episode has lost both of his parents in a two-year period.
Her mother, in contact with the Minnesota Star Tribune, ruled out that Renée was participating in protests at the time of the incident and noted that, given her personality, she was most likely disoriented by the police deployment surrounding her car.
What is happening with U.S. police interventions?
This event adds to a history of tensions in Minneapolis regarding the use of force by state and federal agencies. The incident occurred less than two kilometers from the site of George Floyd’s death in 2020, a precedent that has led local residents to adopt the custom of videotaping any interaction with law enforcement.
Regarding the federal agency’s figures, ICE reported that its operations in the region have been numerous this year, reaching 1,000 arrests, of which 150 occurred on Monday alone. The agency said that incidents of confrontation against its officers have increased significantly in the last period.
However, Good’s case brings into debate the security protocols for civilians who are not part of the arrest targets, in a context where the local police chief described the initial versions against the woman as unsubstantiated.
