The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has assumed full control of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis, officials said.
In a statement on Thursday, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said it was initially called upon to help investigate the shooting before federal officials “reversed course” and said the case would be “solely led by the FBI”.
The BCA said it “reluctantly” stepped away from the investigation after its access to case materials, witnesses, and evidence was withdrawn.
“The BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation,” Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem denied that the BCA had been excluded from the investigation and said it was a matter of jurisdiction.
“They have not been cut,” she said. “They don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation.”
The announcement came as protestors and law enforcement clashed on Thursday morning outside a Minneapolis immigration court, with the governor urging restraint and schools canceling classes as a precaution.
"Domestic terrorism"
Minnesota’s governor Tim Walz told a news conference that “Minnesota must be part of this investigation. It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome. And I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment.”
Meanwhile, protesters clashed with law enforcement officers in Minneapolis, triggering outrage fueled by the Trump administration's insistence that the victim was guilty of "domestic terrorism."
The noisy crowd chanted slogans attacking the ICE agency as officers pushed against protesters, detaining several, including one who struck an agent with a cardboard sign.
The victim of Wednesday's shooting, identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was hit at point-blank range as she apparently tried to drive away from agents who were crowding around her car, which they said was blocking their way.
Footage of the incident shows a masked ICE agent attempting to open the woman's car door before another masked agent fired three times into the Honda SUV.
