Renee Nicole Good Built a Life Around Writing and Poetry

Before the Shooting, Renee Nicole Good Was a Writer and Poet

As investigations continue into the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, new details about her life are emerging — not from police briefings or federal statements, but from the people who knew her best.

Across social media, friends, fellow creatives, and family members are remembering Good as a writer and poet, a woman whose identity was rooted in words, creativity, and emotional honesty.

Read more:

- Who Is the ICE Agent Who Shot Renee Nicole Good?

- What Happens When an ICE Agent Fires a Fatal Shot?

A writer first, by her own description

Shortly after her death, screenshots of what appeared to be Good’s social media profiles began circulating online. In one bio, she described herself as a “poet and writer”, alongside more personal identifiers: a partner, a mother, and an amateur guitar player navigating life in Minneapolis after moving from Colorado.

While authorities have not officially verified the accounts, multiple media outlets and acquaintances have said the profiles matched Good’s personal details and reflected how she spoke about herself in real life.

Friends say writing was not just a hobby for Good — it was how she processed the world.

“She wrote the way some people breathe,” one acquaintance commented on a memorial post. “Poetry was how she made sense of pain and love.”

What friends and peers are saying

In the days following the shooting, tributes poured in from people identifying themselves as friends, former classmates, and fellow writers.

Several described Good as someone who shared poems privately, posted short reflective pieces online, and encouraged others to write honestly about trauma, identity, and belonging. Others recalled her generosity with feedback and her habit of showing up to readings simply to support other writers.

“She believed words could soften people,” one commenter wrote. “She believed stories could stop harm.”

None of the tributes described her as violent, confrontational, or politically extreme — a sharp contrast to the official language used by federal authorities in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

Read more: Is Timmy Ray Macklin Jr. the ICE Agent Who Shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis?

Renee Nicole Good was identified as the woman fatally shot by ICE in Minneapolis on Jan. 7

Family echoes the same portrait

Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, has spoken publicly about her daughter’s compassion and sensitivity, saying she was deeply caring and often concerned with the well-being of others.

Family members have not spoken at length about Good’s writing, but those close to her say creativity ran through everything she did — from handwritten notes to long messages sent late at night to friends who were struggling.

“She felt things deeply,” one family friend said. “And she needed language to hold that.”

Is anyone else wondering why Tim Macklin who died in 2023 has no information about his death. He was a comedian married to Renee Nicole Good who just tried to run over an ice officer and was killed by ice?

Why her creative life matters

In high-profile shootings involving law enforcement, victims are often reduced to a few factual descriptors: age, location, cause of death.

But the growing portrait of Renee Nicole Good complicates that flattening. She was not just a name in an investigation. She was a writer who believed in reflection, a poet drawn to vulnerability, and a person who tried to articulate humanity rather than confront it.

That contrast has fueled anger among those mourning her, especially as officials have framed the encounter primarily through the lens of threat and enforcement.

People placing flowers in the snow near the scene of the shooting

A legacy carried in words

At vigils in south Minneapolis, handwritten notes and fragments of poetry have appeared among candles and flowers. Some are believed to be lines Good once shared. Others are original, written for her.

Friends say that feels fitting.

“She would’ve wanted people to write,” one mourner said quietly at a vigil. “That’s how she thought change happened.”

As investigations continue and debates rage over what happened in the final moments of her life, many who knew Renee Nicole Good say they want the public to remember something else too:

That before she became the center of a national controversy, she was a writer trying to put meaning into the world — one sentence at a time.