Is Renee Good arrest records true?
Executive summary
The viral claim that Renee Nicole Good had an extensive criminal record — including child abuse and other violent charges — is false: multiple fact-checkers and news outlets found the widely shared screenshot to be inaccurate or to belong to a different person and reported no verified criminal history for the Renee Good who was killed in Minneapolis [1] [2] [3]. Independent searches of court records in several states turned up no arrests or charges tied to her name beyond a routine 2012 traffic citation and a past legal name-change filing, while official and local reporting emphasize that investigators are still examining the fatal shooting itself [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. Viral screenshot traced to the wrong person and contains factual inconsistencies
Investigations into the image circulating online found that the arrest “rap sheet” displayed details — including a birthdate and age — that do not match Renee Nicole Good’s identifying information, and PolitiFact and other outlets concluded the screenshot does not prove Good was accused of child abuse or the other crimes listed [2] [8]. Snopes documented the same viral misattribution, noting the screenshot purported to show the criminal record of a different “Nicole Renee Good” and that the circulated image was inauthentic for the Minneapolis victim [1].
2. Public-record searches found no criminal charges or custody actions for the Minneapolis victim
Local reporters and fact-checkers who searched court databases in Colorado, Missouri, Minnesota and Virginia found no arrest records, citations or criminal charges tied to Renee Nicole Macklin Good, and the only public court filing located was a legal name change rather than a criminal matter, reinforcing that there is no verified criminal history for the woman killed by an ICE officer [4] [8]. Major outlets including The Guardian and Hindustan Times likewise reported that available records showed no significant criminal past beyond a decades-old traffic ticket for the woman identified in news coverage [6] [5].
3. Why the false narrative spread and who it served
The doctored or misattributed records spread quickly on social platforms in the days after the shooting, a pattern consistent with attempts to shift public attention from the circumstances of Good’s death by undermining her credibility — a tactic seen in many high-profile incidents where viral smear material resurfaces to influence public perception [1] [3]. While reporting confirms the document itself was false or for a different person, official messages from DHS and some conservative officials framing the incident in ways that could benefit law‑enforcement narratives complicate how the story has been used politically as investigations proceed [9] [10].
4. Ongoing investigations and reporting limitations
Authorities including the FBI have taken up the probe into the fatal shooting, and local prosecutors set up evidence submission processes as the legal review continues, but those investigations do not equate to any criminal history for Good and do not negate the documented findings that the online rap sheet was inaccurate [7] [11]. Reporting relies on searches of public court systems and interviews with family and local officials; absent a centrally published national criminal database, outlets warn there are limits to any public‑records sweep, though multiple independent searches across likely jurisdictions found nothing corroborating the viral claims [4] [8].
5. Bottom line — the arrest‑record claim is false as applied to the Minneapolis victim
Every major fact-check and several news organizations conclude the screenshot circulating after Good’s death does not belong to the Renee Nicole Good who was shot in Minneapolis; there is no verified evidence she faced the child‑abuse, battery or trespass charges in those posts, and credible reporting finds no criminal record beyond minor historical traffic matters and a name‑change filing [2] [1] [5] [6]. Given the political heat around the shooting, readers should treat social‑media assertions about victims’ pasts skeptically and rely on primary court searches and established fact‑checks rather than viral images.