In my opinion, the incident is extremely unfortunate. I believe that if it had occurred in another season, on another road, this tragic event might not have happened.
When the American police aimed at the female driver’s door, the driver, Renee Nicole, could not fully see the police. At that moment, based on a decision she had formed about 30 seconds earlier, she had turned her head to the other side and did not see—nor anticipate—that a police was aiming at the left-side door. She believed that the way her car was stopped was problematic. Rather than remaining in the middle of the road and blocking traffic, she attempted to pull the car forward slightly to avoid congestion. She may also have believed that she was not directly involved in the incident the police were handling and therefore should not contribute to traffic disruption.
This was a public road, not a police station where one waits for a formal release command. In office environments, people know that specific verbal instructions are required for action, but this was not such a controlled setting. Renee Nicole was not a wanted person, nor did she believe the situation concerned her. She thought the police activity was related to someone else.
Renee Nicole was confused. She was a mother, a typical American citizen, and an experienced driver. I believe she perceived herself as acting with the responsibility and discipline of an American soldier. In her mind, her vehicle was obstructing police work, and in cold winter conditions, unnecessarily crowding the scene seemed wrong. Born and raised in the United States, she likely saw herself as someone who should support law enforcement, not hinder it. In other words, she was trying to prevent congestion and help the police. She never imagined herself as a target, and that assumption tragically made her vulnerable.
Renee Nicole Good did not conceive that she could be perceived as a dangerous suspect or someone with a criminal history warranting lethal force. She was a white American woman. At that moment, her car’s wheels were not directed toward any police officer. While reversing, she was likely focused on the rearview mirror or backup camera, or had turned her head backward to ensure she would not hit anyone. With the windows closed in winter conditions, communication with the outside was limited. The police officers were already handling another incident, and Renee Nicole believed she was simply in the way.
If Renee Nicole had been a tourist driving a rental car in the United States, she might have behaved differently. She would likely have viewed herself solely from the police perspective, not as someone aligned with them. She might have remained completely still. However, in her own country—where she felt a strong sense of belonging and responsibility—she may have unconsciously placed herself on the “police side,” believing that leaving the scene would assist them.
The worst aspect is that she likely did not hear the police commands clearly. While reversing carefully, she focused on not hitting anyone, this is clear and she was a good driver. This convergence of misunderstandings led to a fatal outcome. It was an unfortunate, coincidental encounter between a citizen who believed she was helping and a police who perceived a threat. It is deeply tragic and highlights deficiencies in the law and its application. I am convinced the outcome might have been different if it had been summer rather than winter.
It appears that Renee Nicole did not see the second police who fired at her from the left side, to her head. She may have lowered her head instinctively but did not. At that moment, she was simply trying to drive away from two polices, not toward them.
Her wheels were directed entirely away from both polices, and her speed was safe and controlled. The vehicle only accelerated after she was fatally shot in the left side of her head, at which point her body lost control of the car, causing it to speed up and crash with her deceased driver inside.
She may have been concerned about stopping in the middle of the road on such a slippery surface and the risk that her car could skid—an instinct driven by her role as a mother. Recently, in Türkiye, a similar incident occurred on a comparable road where a car slid and crashed into another vehicle and a pole. Because of this concern, she apparently adjusted the wheel direction to prevent any dangerous slipping. Her driving instinct ensured that the vehicle, while under control, did not hit anyone. It was truly a bad season, with poor road conditions.
From the camera footage, it appears that the wheels were safely directed away, and her careful driving intentions may not have been clear to the police who fired the shot. The shooter may have misinterpreted her movements, possibly believing she was reaching for a dangerous object inside the car rather than checking behind the vehicle.
I do not believe that any AI technology from the left window took her picture and matched it to a serial killer; the police were mistaken by such an AI alert—technology like that does not exist yet, though it may be needed. Renee Nicole believed that her face was not the one the police were searching for.
In this photo, Renee Nicole Good is innocent. Her hands are on the steering wheel, and there is nothing in her that could suggest she intends to harm anyone. She is showing her face and the inside of her car in a way that no one else could misinterpret. If there were an emergency patient, you could put them in this car and transport them. She is not shouting “curse this name,” nor does she have a banner in her hand. There is no offensive slogan in her car.
