Woman shot by ICE agent in America had visited Coleraine as Christian youth worker
The woman shot dead by a federal immigration agent in the USA was a former Christian youth worker who had spent summers working at Coleraine’s Ballysally Presbyterian Church.
37-year-old mother of three Renee Nicole Good was said to have been in Minneapolis on January 7 as a legal observer of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities but the Trump administration has called her a "domestic terrorist".
Ms Good's mother told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter was "not part of anything" that involved challenging ICE agents.
But White House officials, including the president, have said Good was not simply observing, but also interfering in the officers' work.
Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme on Friday, January 9, Christian youth worker Paul Bowman spoke of his memories of Renee Nicole Good during her trips to Coleraine in the early 2000s.
He remembered her as a “quiet, compassionate, friendly and caring” young woman who first visited Northern Ireland at the age of 14 or 15. He said that she was involved in youth activities with children from Coleraine with Ballysally Presbyterian Church.
"She was a girl who helped with youth activities, I played music with her, she played with my kids, she was a part of the family.”
Acknowledging that he had not met with Ms Good since 2006, which was during a youth ministry in Saintfield, County Down, Mr Bowman said that “there are principles and values that endure”.
Mr Bowman said that he learned of the shooting incident via a message from a friend in Colorado Springs where Renee was from, then his wife began to pick up information from social media. He described his “shock and disbelief” as he watched news reports.
Adding that while there are “all kinds of accusations”, Mr Bowman continued: "It’s important that we don’t lose sight of the fact that this was a human life.”
He added: “She wasn’t a domestic terrorist, she had compassion. Setting aside politics, this was a young woman, a mother, a daughter who had her life ahead of her, who loved her kids.”
Ms Good's death has sparked protests across the USA with many people holding signs that read "Justice for Renee".
Mr Bowman added: “The Renee that I knew would not have wanted riots on the streets in her name.”