Why the FBI Shut Out Minnesota in ICE Shooting Case
Minnesota erupts in protests after an ICE shooting kills Renee Good. FBI blocks state access, raising fears over police accountability and justice.
Minnesota officials say the FBI has blocked their access to the investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
People have taken to the streets of Minneapolis to protest the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot and killed in her car on Wednesday.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has accused the Trump administration of preventing state officials from being involved in the case, but the U.S. Vice President said the investigation is a federal matter.
Officials have given conflicting accounts of the incident, with the Trump administration claiming the ICE agent acted in self-defense, while local officials say the woman posed no threat.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen claimed the ICE agent shot Good multiple times because she was trying to run the officer over with her car.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said it would investigate the incident.
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The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said the FBI initially agreed to a joint investigation with state officials but later reversed course and denied the state access to materials and evidence.
In a statement, BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said that due to the lack of access to all necessary case materials and evidence, the BCA has "reluctantly" withdrawn from the investigation.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Walz said he was concerned the federal government would not conduct an impartial investigation.
"It now appears that Minnesota has been shut out of the investigation," Walz said. "It looks like it's going to be very, very difficult for us to get a fair outcome."
Vice President Mike Pence told reporters on Thursday that the shooting investigation is a federal matter, arguing that it would be against precedent for a local official to be involved in the case. Video of the incident shows ICE agents approaching a car stopped in the middle of the road and ordering the woman behind the wheel to get out of the SUV. One of the agents pulls on the driver's side door handle.
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As the car attempts to drive away, one of the agents points his gun at the driver, and several gunshots are heard.
The car then speeds away from the officers and crashes into the side of the road.
At the scene of the crash on Thursday, blood from the shooting was still visible in the snow. People held a vigil at the site to honor Good, placing candles and roses along the riverbank.
Hundreds of protesters gathered throughout the day, chanting against ICE and handing out coffee to their neighbors on the cold day.
A pastor, Susie Hayward, said she went to the shooting site as soon as she heard the news so she could see "with her own eyes" what had happened.
"I was terrified," she said. "I saw the car, I saw Renée's car, I saw Renée's blood."
Protesters also gathered Thursday morning near a federal building in Minneapolis, where they were met by armed officers. The protests there remained largely peaceful, as residents expressed their anger over Good's killing.
"They can't just kill someone and get away with it," said Gavin, one of dozens of people outside the federal building. "There have to be consequences for their actions."
Those who knew Good described her as a poet and guitarist who had recently moved to the Minneapolis area.
Her mother, Donna Granger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter was "probably very scared" during the confrontation with officers that led to her being shot.
"She was so kind," Granger told the newspaper. "She cared for people her whole life. She was sweet, forgiving, and affectionate. She was a wonderful person."
Even those who didn't know Good were saddened by her death. Somali immigrant Nimco Ahmed, who grew up just a short distance from the scene of the incident, said, "Renee was everything good about our community."
Ahmed said she and others had gathered to ensure that Good received justice.
Edward Maguire, a criminology professor at Arizona State University, said that excluding state authorities from the investigation into Good's killing would likely erode public trust.
"From a criminology perspective, jurisdictional claims in these kinds of cases are often less about legal requirements and more about political attempts to control the investigation and shape its outcome," he said.
But Briana Godar, a staff attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School, said the state could still file criminal charges later against the federal officer who killed Good.
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