Renee Good’s wife makes first public appearance since her murder, shares new personal statement

HE NEEDS TO KNOW

• Renee Nicole Good’s wife made her first public appearance after the mother of three was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

• On Saturday, February 7, Becca Good appeared on stage in front of hundreds of people in Minneapolis who gathered to commemorate Renee’s life.

• “Renee and I believed that if we lived each day in the world the way we wanted it to be, we could build to make the world a reality,” Becca said in a new personal statement obtained by PEOPLE.

Renee Nicole Good’s wife has made her first public appearance — and shared a new personal statement — after the mother of three was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last month.

On Saturday, February 7, Becca Good appeared on stage in front of hundreds of people in Minneapolis who gathered to commemorate the life of her late partner, one month after his death at the age of 37, according to The New York Times.

Although she did not speak at the event, Becca shared a statement, obtained by PEOPLE and read aloud at the memorial by Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg.

“Becca Good, Renee’s wife, has had to grieve alone for weeks,” Lekach-Rosenberg said at the public event. “This is a really important moment — Rebecca gets to share the words with you. So, it’s my honor to get to give the words to Becca.”

Becca began her statement by thanking the Minneapolis community for their support.

“Minneapolis showed me that even in the midst of pain and fear, people still show up for each other. For that, I want to thank you,” she wrote. “Thank you to this incredible community for showing up time and time again – organizing food and rides, making sure our kids get to school, checking on the neighbors, and staying together in the cold. I’m so proud to call Minneapolis my home.”

“Renee wasn’t the first person killed and she wasn’t the last. You know my wife’s name and you know Alex’s name, but there are many others in this city who are hurt that you don’t know — their families are hurt just like mine, even if they don’t look like mine,” she continued, referring to the Jan. 24 slaying of federal agents at UCI Alex Prettipolis.

“They’re neighbors, friends, coworkers, classmates. And we need to know their names, too. Because this shouldn’t happen to anyone,” Becca said.

Becca also wrote about her late partner’s work as a volunteer and teacher – as well as how he always ‘showed up’ as a mother and friend.

“[She was] always helping, making things a little better for others. Seeing the world now celebrate the parts of her that I’ve always known—the kindness, the humor, the warmth—reminds me of her spirit,” she continued.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking news, ongoing trial coverage and details on exciting unsolved cases.

In her statement, Becca also talked about the couple’s 6-year-old son, saying, “Renee and I believed that if we lived each day in the world the way we wanted to, we could build to make the world a reality. So I do that every day — and every night, as I kiss my son to bed and tell him things will get better.”

“Renee and I chose kindness. We believed that every life deserves the same care, treatment and dignity, no matter who they are or what they look like,” Becca’s statement concluded. “It shouldn’t be radical. If it is, then I want Renee and our family to be known for how we practiced radical kindness every day.”

In addition to sharing a 6-year-old child with her late husband Timmy Macklin Jr., who died at age 36 in 2023, Renee was also the mother of two older children, a daughter and a son from her first marriage, who are 12 and 15, the Associated Press previously reported.

On Jan. 7, Renee had just dropped her son off at school before a deadly encounter with federal immigration agents, PEOPLE previously reported.

He was driving home with Becca when they ran into a group of ICE agents, her ex-husband told the AP. The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said Renee and Becca moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Mo.

The confrontation was captured on video by an ICE agent who pulled over Renee’s Honda Pilot while she was in the driver’s seat. Becca was sitting outside the vehicle talking to the officer, and footage that has since been released shows a black dog sitting in the backseat looking down the window.

The incident quickly escalated when Renee began moving her car, prompting an officer, who has since been identified as Jonathan Ross, to fire a gun at her. The vehicle continued to drive away after Renee was shot and crashed on the road. A voice was then heard behind the camera saying, “F—bitch.”

A Minneapolis resident who lives near the scene of the shooting told PEOPLE they asked Becca shortly afterward if she had anyone to call. Becca replied, “That’s my wife. They shot her in the head, man. That’s ridiculous!”

Renee’s sister, Annie Ganger, was also in attendance at Saturday’s memorial event, according to reports Times. She addressed the crowd, sharing that she was “proud” of the Minnesota community that came together in the wake of her sister’s murder.

“For us who don’t live in this area of ​​Minnesota, we see this strong work that you’re doing despite rejection and it’s encouraged us to dive into our own communities. We’re so proud,” she said, choking up. “My family is so thankful for you. Thank you for being my sister’s home.”

“Renee was completely hilarious,” she added. “Every time I talked to her, I laughed until I cried-snorted, but she cried-snorted with me.”

“I think Renee’s advice for us right now would be to take care of ourselves, take care of our neighbors,” Ganger concluded. “Get care from our neighbors, rest and eat, play and show off.”

Read the original article on People