Lorie Shaull / Flickr
Tim Waltz
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accuses the Trump administration of trying to cover up the case by blocking state authorities’ access to the investigation.
Minnesota authorities say the FBI blocked your access investigation by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
Protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis to protest the death of Renee Nicole Good37 years old, who died on Wednesday after being shot inside her car.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accused the Trump administration of blocking state authorities from getting involved in the case, but the US vice president said the investigation is a federal matter.
Authorities presented different versions of the incident: the Trump administration claims the ICE agent acted in self-defensewhile local authorities say the woman posed no danger.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the ICE agent shot Good multiple times because she was was trying to run him over with his car.
The FBI said it will investigate the incident.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCA) stated that the FBI had initially agreed to a joint investigation with state authorities, but later changed his mind and denied the state access to materials and evidence.
Unable to access all the materials and evidence needed for the case, the BCA “reluctantly withdrew” from the investigation, BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement.
At a press conference Thursday, Walz said he was concerned that the federal government would not be able to conduct an impartial investigation.
“The feeling is that the Minnesota was excluded from the investigation“, Walz said. “It seems very, very difficult for us to get a fair result.”
Vice President J.D. Vance told reporters Thursday that the shooting investigation was a federal matter, arguing that it would be against precedent to involve a local law enforcement official in prosecuting the case.
Videos of the incident show ICE agents approaching a car stopped in the middle of the street and ordering the woman behind the wheel to get out of the SUV. One of the officers pulls the driver’s door handle.
As the vehicle tries to start, one of the agents points his gun at the driver and several shots are heard.
The car then continues to move away from the agent and crashes into the side of the street.
At the scene of the accident on Thursday, blood from the shooting could still be seen on the snow. People set up a vigil at the site to honor Good, filling the riverbank with candles and roses.
Hundreds of protesters They showed up throughout the day, shouting insults at ICE and offering coffee to neighbors on that cold winter day.
Susie Hawyard, a priest, said she went to the scene of the shooting as soon as she heard the news to see “for myself” what had happened.
“I was horrified“, he said. “I saw the car, I saw Renee’s car, I saw Renee’s blood.”
Protesters also gathered at a federal building in Minneapolis on Thursday morning, where they were met by armed police. The protests remained largely peaceful as residents expressed their outrage over Good’s murder.
“They can’t get away with killing someone. There have to be consequences for actions,” said Gavin, one of dozens of people outside the federal building.
Those who knew Good said she was a poet and guitarist who had recently moved to Minneapolis.
Her mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter was “probably terrified” during the confrontation with police that resulted in her murder.
“She was extremely compassionate“, Ganger told the newspaper. “She took care of people her whole life. She was loving, understanding and caring. He was an incredible human being.”
Even those who didn’t know Good said they were moved by his death.
“A Renee represented everything good our community had to offer,” said Nimco Ahmad, a Somali immigrant who grew up a few blocks from the scene of the incident.
Ahmad said she and others were gathered to help ensure justice was served for Good.
The exclusion of state authorities from the investigation into Good’s death will likely harm public trustsaid Edward Maguire, professor of criminology at Arizona State University.
“From a criminological perspective, jurisdictional claims in cases like this often have less to do with legal requirements and more to do with political efforts to control the investigation and influence its result”, he said.
But the state could still bring criminal charges later against the federal agent who killed Good, said Bryna Godar, an attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
