NORFOLK, Va. — Old Dominion University is mourning the death of alumna Renee (Macklin) Good, who was fatally shot Wednesday in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs officer, the school confirmed.
Good graduated in December 2020 from ODU’s College of Arts and Letters with a degree in English. She was remembered by the university’s president as a “proud Monarch” whose life and legacy will be honored by the school community.
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In a statement shared with News 3, ODU President Brian O. Hemphill expressed his sorrow over the loss, calling it “a tragic killing.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, loved ones, and the Monarch Nation,” Hemphill said. “This is yet another clear example that fear and violence have sadly become commonplace in our nation. Indeed, this tragedy reflects the deep strain being felt in countless communities across our nation. As citizens, it is our duty and right to call upon leaders and officials to restore civility in all facets of our lives, especially at the hands of those who are entrusted to protect and serve.”
Hemphill described Good’s life as a reminder of “freedom, love, and peace” and urged compassion, healing, and reflection in what he called “one of the darkest and most uncertain periods in our nation’s history.”
Following the shooting, federal investigators said the 37-year-old mother of three was killed because she tried to run down an ICE agent with her car.
As more details about Good's history in Virginia came to light, former friends and colleagues at ODU began sharing their experiences with her online.
In one social media post, an ODU English faculty member recalled working with Good on her coursework while she juggled a pregnancy and multiple jobs.
"A wonderful writer and truly kind person," is how Kent Wascom described her.
In 2020, one of her poem's won the university's College Poetry Prize for undergraduates.
A photography studio in Chesapeake shared a larger version of an image ODU shared of Good. They tell News 3 it was taken during a maternity shoot in 2019 at Fort Monroe in Hampton.
Though the studio declined an interview with News 3, in their post about Good, Knot & Anchor Photography said she "radiated warmth and kindness" when they worked with her.
