‘Unimaginable loss’: Renee Good family urges ‘empathy’ in call for justice | Minnesota ICE shooting
Renee Good’s extended family said Monday they want justice and accountability for her death at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, but urged people outraged by the shooting of the 37-year-old Minneapolis mother of three to base their conversations on “humanity, empathy, and care for the family most affected.”
In a statement and interviews with the Guardian, family members, many of whom are relatives of Timmy Macklin Jr, Good’s late husband and father of her youngest son, paid tribute to Good, her children and Macklin, and said they hoped the “unimaginable loss” the family had experienced would lead to meaningful change and “less family.” [who] I have to endure this kind of pain.”
This was the first time anyone in the family, other than Good’s widow Becca, spoke to the press. Macklin’s parents and siblings, who consulted with Good’s mother, Donna, described Good as “an extraordinary mother, loyal, extremely loving and always putting her children at the center of the world. She was full of heart and never defined by malice.”
The statement denounced ICE, the Trump administration’s attempts to smear Good as a domestic terrorist, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and others “murder” or the FBI’s investigation into his death, which was conducted without input from Minnesota law enforcement.
Instead, family members said they wanted to avoid the divisiveness and harsh language that has characterized much of the fighting between the administration and its opponents since last Wednesday’s shooting.
“There’s so much hate speech back and forth that what’s missed is painting a picture of who Renee was,” Good’s sister-in-law, Jessica Fletcher, said. In a prepared statement from Fletcher, the family said he spoke “with care, clarity and love.”
His tone was similar to Becca Good’s statement to Minnesota Public Radio on Friday, in which she said the way to honor his wife was: “lives its values“Rejecting hatred and choosing compassion, turning away from fear and pursuing peace, rejecting division and knowing that we must come together to build a world where we all return home safe and sound to the people we love.”
Good’s former mother-in-law, Charlene Fletcher, told the Guardian that meeting Good opened a new chapter in her life and “made me a better mother”.
He added: “It feels incredibly wrong for Renee to die this way. She had such a beautiful voice that everyone should have the chance to hear. The last thing Renee wanted was for violence to be committed in her name.”
The statement celebrated the bonds of love in a complex family. Good’s two older children from another relationship live with their father in Colorado. Macklin, an air force veteran, died in 2023 at the age of 36 from causes the family did not specify beyond saying he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues.
“Raising their children together and building a life with him made these years truly the best years he ever had,” the family said of Macklin. “That would have absolutely devastated him.”
The statement specifically mentioned Good’s youngest son, now an orphan at age six, and said all three children “deserve privacy, protection and care as they begin to live their lives without their mother.”
The family made only a vague reference to the protests that broke out in many US cities in response to Good’s death, thanking “everyone who has come forward, spoken out and made space for the family during this incredibly difficult time.”
Jessica Fletcher said the uncertainty was a deliberate choice. “I don’t want to open up the issue to this big fight with the other side,” he said. “This would just throw more fuel on the fire. But not saying anything is also political.”
The statement continued: “We know Renee will be there, standing up for those fighting for justice and standing up for the people, causes and community she loves. We hope this will inspire accountability, compassion and meaningful change.”
