Renee Nicole Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, said on Tuesday, Sept. 22, that she voted for President Donald Trump and believed that federal immigration officers would “protect” Americans.
“But no one can protect against others who are determined to disregard our country’s constitutional rules and values,” Ganger said during a public forum hosted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-California.
Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in January during immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis. Her death sparked nationwide protests.
Ganger, who identified herself as a registered Republican, said it was torture that "as a mom and as a family, we could not protect" Good.
“I voted
for President Trump under the impression that these agents were here to protect the citizens of the United States, innocents like our family and the others here, against terrorists, certainly not to accuse those of us here of being terrorists and take precious lives,” Ganger said.
Watch Ganger's message in the video at the top of this story.
What happened to Renee Good?
The 37-year-old was fatally shot on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross when she moved her car forward near the ICE agent.
Trump defended Ross, saying it was "hard to believe" the officer survived, with then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem saying Good’s actions were an “act of domestic terrorism.” But video taken by Ross from his cellphone appeared to show Good turning her car away from him before the fatal shots rang out.
After watching video of the shooting, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the self-defense claim a "garbage narrative" at a Jan. 7 news conference.
Good’s killing, as well as the subsequent fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents Raymundo Gutierrez and Jesus Ochoa, sparked widespread protests against the Trump administration’s militarized use of the Department of Homeland Security in Minneapolis.
'Deep disbelief'
Earlier this year, Good’s siblings, Luke and Brent Ganger, said their sister's killing had caused “deep distress” for their family.
"The deep distress our family feels because of Renee’s loss in such a violent and unnecessary way is complicated by feelings of disbelief, distress and desperation for change," Luke Ganger said at the time.
Brett Ganger also shared some of the eulogy he had written for Good’s funeral service, where he compared his late sister to dandelions that grow and bring beauty in unexpected places, according to the Associated Press.
“She believed tomorrow could be better than today. She believed that kindness mattered. And she lived that belief,” he said.
USA TODAY’s Christopher Cann, N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Nick Penzenstadler contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mother of Renee Good, ICE shooting victim, says she voted for Trump
