Rifts widen as Minnesota, feds face off over ICE shooting
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
A flicker of unity in the investigation of an ICE agent who killed a woman in Minneapolis all but disappeared Thursday as federal authorities froze out state investigators, Gov. Tim Walz questioned whether the FBI could be fair on its own and Vice President JD Vance vowed to stop Walz and “a bunch of radicals” from pursuing a case against the agent.
Despite detailed video of the incident, federal officials stood firm that the agent was justified in shooting through the window of Renee Good’s SUV and killing her, saying she was trying to run down the agent. Watching essentially the same footage, state and local officials pushed back. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the feds’ version as a “garbage” narrative.
With the video turning into a political Rorschach test, it seemed vital that the FBI and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension work together to determine the facts.
That ended Thursday morning when BCA officials said the FBI had shut them out. Without complete access to evidence and witnesses, state officials said they would not be able “to complete a thorough and independent investigation.”
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said later the BCA had not been cut out of the investigation but simply did not have jurisdiction. Vance, though, took an unyielding stance on the federal government’s exclusive role in the probe, criticizing Walz and seemingly dismissing his request to let Minnesota investigators rejoin the probe.
“The precedent here is very simple. You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job,” Vance said during a heated press conference at the White House.
He said he won’t let “Tim Walz and a bunch of radicals in Minneapolis” pursue a case and “make this guy’s life miserable because he was doing the job he was asked to do.”
‘Judge, jury and executioner’
News of the FBI shutting out the BCA led Walz to question whether the feds could be trusted to produce a fair and impartial review of Good’s killing.
“Minnesota must be part of this investigation,” Walz told reporters late Thursday morning, noting that the BCA has significant expertise in probing shootings by law enforcement.
“It feels now that Minnesota has been taken out of the investigation. It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome” with the FBI solely in charge, he said, adding that President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “have told you things that are verifiably false.”
Noem described Good as among a “mob of agitators” that were harassing and impeding agents during the day in Minneapolis and accused the woman trying to run down agents, which she called an “act of domestic terrorism.”
Walz said Noem and others have already prejudged the outcome of the investigation. Noem, he added, “was basically judge, jury and executioner" in her comments Wednesday.
The governor also expressed his deepening concern about the state’s confrontation with the federal government spilling into schools.
Minneapolis Public Schools closed for the week after Good’s killing and after federal agents descended on Roosevelt High School around dismissal time Wednesday.
School districts around the state are reporting increasing absences of students in areas with large populations of immigrant families.
Walz on Thursday was asked about the rising fears of some schools around the federal immigration surge and how the state might respond.
“We have not determined that yet, but it is a situation that we’re going to have to explore,” he told reporters as he mentioned Ruby Bridges, who as a 6-year-old in 1960 made history as she integrated an all-white elementary school in New Orleans while protected by federal authorities.
Walz said he’d spoken to Minnesota Education Commissioner Willie Jett about his conversations with the school officials in St. Cloud, Duluth and elsewhere and whether kids should be in school buildings given the tension. Walz emphasized his support of local decision-making but said he remained “deeply concerned” the troubles were making their way into schools.
Protests growing; Walz preps Minnesota Guard for possible action
Vigils and protests against Good’s killing spread across the Twin Cities Thursday and into greater Minnesota and are expected to continue Friday.
A couple hundred people gathered Thursday at the federal Whipple Building, a Minneapolis building and base of operations for ICE in the Twin Cities. People marched through the parking lot and stopped at the gated-off parking area. Federal agents used chemical irritants to push the protest line back.
People also gathered at the site of the fatal shooting near the corner of 34th Street and Portland Avenue South in Minneapolis. City clergy and faith leaders called for the immediate removal of ICE in Minnesota. With school out, young students marched Thursday near Kenny Community School. There is also a walkout planned at Wayzata High School at 1 p.m. on Friday.
On Friday, Minneapolis educators and families are expected to hold a press conference calling for ICE to stay out of Minnesota and Minnesota schools.
While protests to date have been overwhelmingly peaceful, Walz is preparing the Minnesota National Guard for possible action.
On Thursday, he signed a formal executive order that will ready Guard soldiers to provide assistance to local law enforcement if they’re needed. This is not a formal call-up just yet. Walz indicated his order would allow for quicker activation should that be necessary and allow National Guard leaders to spend money to get ready.
The governor on Thursday also said there are 85 members of the Minnesota State Patrol’s Mobile Response Team who have been designated to support law enforcement efforts in the Twin Cities.
As the rift with the federal government deepened, Walz continued to plead for people to protest peacefully, saying the Trump administration was looking for an excuse to bring troops into the region.
He said he was particularly distressed about federal agents descending on Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Wednesday, saying, “I beg you, implore you to tell them to stay out of our schools.”
This is a recap of breaking news on Thursday, Jan. 8. Breaking news stories are constantly evolving as we learn more information. For a look at that timeline, view our live updates from that day.
