FBI takes over investigation into ICE agent killing of woman in Minneapolis

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has taken control of the investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis, despite outcry from state officials.

On Thursday, Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) explained that federal authorities from the FBI and the US Department of Justice had denied the state bureau access to case materials.

Previously, state and federal officials had been slated to work together on the investigation into the killing of Renee Nicole Macklin Good, 37, a mother of three who was shot dead in her car on Wednesday.

“The investigation would now be led solely by the FBI, and the BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said on Thursday.

“Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands.”

Good’s death has become a political flashpoint in the US, with observers denouncing ICE’s actions as excessive and the administration of President Donald Trump defending the shooting as an act of self-defence.

The decision to exclude state authorities from participating in the investigation has further exacerbated tensions, as Minnesota officials accuse the Trump administration of playing politics with the case.

“Minnesota must be part of this investigation,” Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, told reporters at a Thursday news conference.

He pointed out that the BCA has staff dedicated to investigating use-of-force incidents by law enforcement officers.

“These are nonpartisan, career professionals that have spent years building the trust of the community,” Walz said.

He added that the high-profile nature of the shooting – and the misrepresentations he has seen from the Trump administration – leads him to fear for the outcome of the investigation.

“Now that Minnesota has been taken out of the investigation, it feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome,” Walz said. “And I say that because people in positions of power have already passed judgement, from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem.”

Noem, the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has publicly accused Good of “domestic terrorism” since her death, though there is no definitive evidence to support that claim.

Still, state officials, including Minnesota’s Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison, have signalled they may continue to pursue charges in the case.

“If federal authorities are saying they won’t even entertain a joint and inclusive investigation, that is deeply disturbing,” Ellison told CNN.

He added that state authorities could still launch their own independent probe, with or without the cooperation of the federal government. “The federal government can’t stop Minnesota from doing its own, but I would hope that it wouldn’t come to that.”

Shooting sparks nationwide outrage

Good’s shooting on Wednesday has drawn renewed scrutiny to the Trump administration’s decision to surge immigration officers to communities across the US – and the clashes that have resulted between protesters and agents.

Since taking office for a second term, Trump, a Republican, has pursued a hardline immigration policy that includes a campaign of mass deportation.

Trump has concentrated many of his immigration enforcement actions on Democrat-led jurisdictions, including Minneapolis, where he has blamed the large Somali American community for a fraud scandal that has roiled the state.

After a series of racist remarks against Somali Americans in December – including calling them “garbage” – his administration announced an uptick in enforcement actions in Minnesota.

Democratic officials have accused the Trump administration of needlessly ratcheting up tensions with its crackdowns.

State and federal officials have offered starkly different accounts of Wednesday’s shooting, in which an unidentified ICE agent shot Good, a US citizen, in a residential neighbourhood.

The ‍ICE agent who shot Good was ⁠among 2,000 federal officers deployed to the Minneapolis area in what the Department of Homeland Security described as the “largest DHS operation ever”.

DHS officials, including Noem, have accused Good of intentionally trying to ram agents.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, called that assertion “bulls***” and “garbage”, pointing to bystander videos that appeared to contradict the government’s account.

Videos appeared to show masked officers approaching Good’s car, which was stopped on a Minneapolis street. Good appeared to be waving for other vehicles to pass her.

As one officer ordered Good out of the car and grabbed at her door handle, the car briefly reversed and then began driving forward, turning to the right in an apparent attempt to leave the scene.

Another officer, who had been filming the scene before walking to the front of Good’s car, drew his gun after the car’s bumper appeared to have passed by his body. He is believed to have fired three times, penetrating the driver’s windows.

Videos circulated online did not appear to show contact between the car and the agents, and the officer stayed on his feet, though Noem said he was taken to a hospital and released.

Trump falsely claimed on social media that the woman “ran over the ICE Officer”.

In a statement to local media, Good’s mother identified her as the shooting victim. According to The Washington Post, Good leaves behind her 15-year-old daughter and two sons, aged 12 and six.

Uproar spreads across country

In the wake of Good’s killing, protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis to condemn the ICE agent’s actions and the wider ICE presence in the city, which has been met with frequent demonstrations.

On Thursday morning, about 1,000 demonstrators gathered at a federal building where an immigration court is housed, chanting “shame” and “murder” at armed and masked federal officers.

At least one protester was detained as federal officers armed with PepperBall guns and tear gas confronted the crowd of demonstrators, according to the AFP news agency.

Governor Walz called for Friday to be a “day of unity” in memory of Good’s death. “While we cannot bring back Renee Nicole Good, we can honour her life by standing together for decency, democracy, compassion and our shared values,” he said.

Protests have taken place and are planned in New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Antonio, New Orleans and Chicago in reaction to the shooting.

Demonstrations are also scheduled in smaller cities in Arizona, North Carolina and New Hampshire later this week.