Did Renee good wife say it was her fault she was at protest
Executive summary
Video and multiple news outlets record Renee Good’s wife expressing immediate self-blame at the scene—saying words to the effect of “I made her come down here, it’s my fault” while distraught—yet in formal statements and interviews she and her family have framed the couple as having stopped to support neighbors and act as observers, and political actors have pushed competing narratives to shift blame [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. The raw footage: an anguished, immediate admission
Eye-witness and on-scene video captured Good’s partner in the moments after the shooting saying she had encouraged Renee to come to the location and expressing blame, with at least one outlet transcribing her words as “I made her come down here, it’s my fault,” a detail reported by KOMO and cited by other outlets that examined the footage [1]; Fox News also described an on-scene video showing the grieving partner saying she had encouraged Renee to attend [5]. These are documented as immediate, emotional remarks made amid chaos and grief and are widely reported as coming from the distraught spouse at the scene [1] [5].
2. The public statement: support, witness and remembrance, not fault
After the shooting the wife gave formal statements to media and at vigils that presented a different posture—describing why they stopped (to support neighbors and act as legal observers), celebrating Renee’s character, and calling for accountability—People, ABC7 and local outlets quote her saying they “stopped to support our neighbors” and emphasizing Renee’s kindness and faith, with no admission of culpability in those statements [2] [6] [4]. Family attorneys and allies have likewise said the couple were observing the ICE operation and intended to support and help neighbors, a framing used to counter narratives that they sought confrontation [3].
3. How different audiences seized the moment
Conservative media and some political figures seized the grainy, emotional video to argue the wife’s words proved responsibility for the fatal encounter, amplifying claims that the victims provoked or caused the shooting—coverage and commentary that outlets like Wired and TalkingPointsMemo say has been part of a broader effort to shift blame onto the victims and delegitimize the widow [7] [8]. Conversely, local officials and protesters have highlighted footage and other evidence suggesting the federal operation’s tactics escalated the situation, arguing that the presence of armed agents created danger and that the wife’s immediate statements were expressions of trauma, not legal admissions [9] [6].
4. What the video does — and does not — legally establish
The recorded self-blame is factual: multiple outlets report that the wife said she made Renee come to the scene in the immediate aftermath [1] [5]. However, journalists and analysts caution that an anguished, on-the-ground statement made under extreme distress is not the same as a considered legal confession or a finding of culpability; authorities and legal commentators differ about what such footage proves about criminal responsibility or justification for the use of force, and more forensic and investigative work is being cited as necessary [9] [8].
5. The broader narrative battle and implicit agendas
Reporting shows two overlapping narratives: one humanizes the victims and frames them as legal observers who stopped to help neighbors, while another weaponizes a short, emotional clip to portray them as aggressors or provocateurs—each narrative serves different political aims, from calls for accountability and reforms to defending federal enforcement tactics and shifting blame onto protestors [3] [7]. Media outlets and political actors have incentives to emphasize the version that aligns with their agenda, and several commentators have noted the quick polarization in coverage and the targeting of the surviving partner in conservative commentary [7] [8].
6. Bottom line
Yes—video and contemporaneous reporting show Renee Good’s wife saying in the immediate aftermath that she felt responsible for bringing Renee to the scene, but that expression of guilt came in a moment of traumatic grief and exists alongside public statements from the wife and the family that frame their actions as support and legal observation; the meaning and legal weight of the on-scene remark remain contested amid a polarized media and political fight [1] [2] [3] [7].