I. Incident & Immediate Medical Response — Context for Autopsy
To understand the autopsy findings, it’s important to first review the circumstances under which Renee Good was shot on January 7, 2026, and the initial medical evaluation:
At approximately 9:37 a.m. local time, Good was found inside her SUV and shot by the agent. After being struck, the SUV moved forward, then struck another vehicle and a light pole.
Emergency medical responders located her in the driver’s seat, unresponsive, not breathing, and with an inconsistent, irregular, thready pulse activity.
First responders documented blood on her face and torso and moved her to a nearby sidewalk to secure the scene before providing care.
Paramedics applied chest compressions and a tourniquet to her arm, and advanced procedures were performed en route to the hospital — but she was pronounced dead at about 10:30 a.m.
This immediate medical context — her positioning, pulse status, visible injuries, and emergency response efforts — sets the stage for interpreting the autopsy findings.
II. Official Hennepin County Medical Examiner Ruling
The official forensic ruling by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office was released and widely reported:
A. Manner and Cause of Death
The official cause was multiple gunshot wounds inflicted by a law enforcement officer during the incident.
Importantly, in forensic pathology, homicide in the manner of death classification does not automatically imply criminal wrongdoing; rather, it means that death resulted from the actions of another person. The decision to label it homicide reflects that her death was caused by gunshot injuries inflicted during the law enforcement encounter.
B. Documented Gunshot Wounds (Official Report)
According to the medical examiner’s summary of injuries:
Two gunshot wounds were confirmed on the right side of her chest.
A third gunshot wound was identified on her left forearm.
There was a possible gunshot wound on the left side of her head noted in the preliminary scene report.
III. Independent Autopsy Results (Commissioned by Family)
In addition to the medical examiner’s report, an independent autopsy was conducted at the request of Good’s family and their legal representatives. These findings provide more detailed forensic analysis:
A. Total Gunshot Wounds
The independent autopsy confirmed at least three gunshot wounds.
Wound 1: Entered the left forearm — this injury was described as not immediately life-threatening.
Wound 2: Struck the right breast — also not immediately life-threatening and did not penetrate major organs.
Wound 3: Entered the left side of the head near the temple and exited on the opposite side — this was identified as the fatal wound.
The independent autopsy also noted a graze wound consistent with a firearm injury that did not penetrate deeply, possibly representing a fourth injury, though this was interpreted as superficial.
B. Forensic Significance
The head wound was identified as the most significant and likely primary cause of death, consistent with its penetrating trajectory and fatal anatomical involvement.
In forensic pathology, head injuries — particularly those that penetrate the skull with exit wounds — have a high likelihood of causing rapid loss of vital neurological function and are considered lethal without immediate and advanced medical intervention.
The independent autopsy thus lends specificity to the types and locations of injuries, clarifying which wounds likely contributed most directly to her death.
IV. Injury Characteristics & Pathophysiological Findings
Here’s a deeper look at what the documented injuries tell us from a forensic and medical perspective:
A. Gunshot Wounds to Chest
Gunshot wounds to the chest can damage lungs, great vessels, or the heart, leading to hemorrhage, pneumothorax (collapsed lung), or cardiac tamponade.
However, in Good’s independent autopsy, the chest wounds were not immediately fatal, indicating that immediate hemorrhagic shock from those wounds alone was unlikely the sole cause of death.
B. Forearm Wound
Forearm gunshot wounds can cause significant bleeding but are generally not fatal unless major arteries are damaged. In many trauma settings, forearm injuries — even serious ones — can be stabilized.
C. Head Wound and Fatal Impact
The penetrating head wound — entering near the left temple and exiting through the skull — would likely have compromised critical brain structures.
In forensic terms, this type of trajectory is consistent with rapid neurological disruption, leading to loss of consciousness, respiratory failure, and irreversible brain damage.
D. Vital Signs at Scene
Emergency responders documented an absence of breathing and a severely irregular pulse.
These findings align with the severity of head and chest trauma — where brainstem damage (from head wounds) and shock responses can quickly disrupt vital functions.
V. Correlation Between Official and Independent Findings
The official medical examiner’s ruling and the independent autopsy are consistent in several key areas:
Consistent Findings
Multiple gunshot wounds were documented in both reports.
Wounds included shots to extremities (forearm), torso (chest), and head.
Good was found unresponsive, without breathing, and with irregular pulse activity at the scene, consistent with severe trauma.
Clarified Details
The independent autopsy provided specific wound trajectories and fatal injury mechanisms (particularly for the head wound), while the official medical examiner’s initial public summary focused on manner of death and the presence of multiple wounds.
VI. Forensic Implications & Medico-Legal Interpretation
Here’s how medical and forensic professionals interpret these findings:
A. Mechanism of Death
The fatal head wound indicates that death was caused by injuries consistent with ballistic trauma to the central nervous system — a finding aligned with the pathophysiological mechanisms typical of penetrating cranial injuries.
B. Sequence of Trauma
Based on wound severity and position:
The chest and forearm wounds likely contributed to physiological stress and bleeding.
The head wound — with evident brain penetration — likely caused rapid incapacitation and was the critical lethal injury.
C. Role of Emergency Response
Autopsy findings and incident reports do not directly judge medical response, but they do confirm that despite resuscitative efforts including chest compressions and tourniquets, the severity of injuries was incompatible with successful recovery given the head trauma.
VII. Unresolved Questions & Pending Official Report
The full Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s report has not yet been publicly released in full detail.
Many details — such as precise bullet trajectories, toxicology, and microscopic examination — remain private until the complete forensic document is published.
VIII. Summary of Key Autopsy Findi
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