Minnesota officials say FBI blocked ICE shooting investigation

Minnesota officials say the FBI has blocked their investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

People took to the streets of Minneapolis to protest the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot to death in her car on Wednesday.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accused the Trump administration of blocking state officials from participating in the case, but the U.S. vice president said the investigation was a federal matter.

Officials have offered varying accounts of the incident, with the Trump administration claiming the ICE agents acted in self-defense while local officials said the woman posed no danger.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that ICE agents shot Goode multiple times as she tried to run him over in her car.

The FBI said it would investigate the incident.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said the FBI initially agreed to conduct a joint investigation with state officials, but later changed its tune and refused to allow the state to obtain materials and evidence.

BCA chief Drew Evans said in a statement that the BCA had “reluctantly withdrawn” from the investigation due to an inability to obtain all necessary case materials and evidence.

Walz said at a news conference Thursday that he was concerned the federal government would not be able to conduct an impartial investigation.

“It feels like Minnesota has been left out of the investigation right now,” Walz said. “It feels very, very difficult for us to get a fair outcome.”

Vice President J.D. Vance told reporters Thursday that the investigation into the shooting is a federal matter and argued it would violate precedent involving local officials in prosecuting the case.

Video of the incident shows ICE agents approaching a car parked in the middle of a street and telling the woman behind the wheel to get out of the car. An agent pulled on the driver’s door handle.

As the vehicle attempted to drive away, an agent pointed a gun at the driver and several gunshots were heard.

The car then continued away from the officers and hit the curb.

Blood stains from the shooting could still be seen in the snow at the scene of Thursday’s accident. A vigil was held in memory of Goode, with candles and roses placed on the riverbank.

Hundreds of demonstrators showed up throughout the day, shouting insults at ICE and serving coffee to their neighbors on a cold winter day.

Minister Susie Hawyard said she rushed to the scene of the shooting as soon as she heard the news to verify “with her own eyes” what had happened.

“I’m scared,” she said. “I saw the car, I saw Renee’s car, I saw Renee’s blood.”

Protesters also gathered at a federal building in Minneapolis early Thursday morning, where they were met by armed police. Protests there have remained largely peaceful, with residents expressing anger over Goode’s killing.

“They can’t get away with killing people. There have to be consequences for their actions,” said Gavin, one of dozens outside the federal building.

People who knew Goode said she was a poet and guitarist who had just moved to Minneapolis.

Her mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter “may have been scared” during the confrontation with police, who saw her being shot.

“She was very compassionate,” Ganger told the Journal. “She spent her whole life taking care of others. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing person.”

Even those who didn’t know Goode said they were shocked by her death.

“Renee embodies the best of our community,” said Nimco Ahmad, a Somali immigrant who grew up just blocks from where the incident occurred.

Ahmed said she and others came together to help ensure justice is served.

Edward Maguire, a criminology professor at Arizona State University, said excluding state authorities from the investigation into Goode’s killing could undermine public trust.

“From a criminological perspective, jurisdictional claims in such cases tend to be less about legal requirements and more about political efforts to control the investigation and shape the findings,” he said.

But Briana Godard, a staff attorney at the State Democracy Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Law, said the state could still later bring criminal charges against the federal officers who killed Goode.

Additional reporting by Grace Goodwin