Minnesota officials say FBI blocked access to ICE shooting investigation

Minnesota officials say the FBI blocked their access to an investigation into the shooting death of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.

People took to the streets of Minneapolis to protest the killing of Renee Nicole Good, 37, who died Wednesday after being shot in her car.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accused the Trump administration of preventing state officials from getting involved in the case, but the US vice president said the investigation was a federal matter.

Authorities have offered differing versions of the incident, with the Trump administration saying the ICE agent was acting in self-defense, while local authorities say the woman posed no danger.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed the ICE agent shot Good multiple times because she tried to run the agent over in her car.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said it would investigate the incident.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said the FBI initially agreed to a joint investigation with state officials, but then reversed course and denied the state access to documents and evidence.

Without the ability to access all necessary documents and evidence, BCA “reluctantly withdrew” from the investigation, BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement.

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

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

Vice President JD Vance told reporters Thursday that the investigation into the shooting was a federal matter, arguing that it would run counter to precedent if a local official were involved in prosecuting the case.

Videos of the incident show ICE agents approaching a car that is in the middle of the street and telling the woman behind the wheel to get out of the SUV. One of the officers pulls the driver’s side door handle.

As the vehicle attempts to leave, one of the officers points his gun at the driver and several shots are heard.

The car then continues to drive away from the officer and crashes onto the side of the street.

At the scene of Thursday’s accident, blood from the shooting was still visible in the snow. People held a vigil at the site to honor the Good, lining the bank with candles and roses.

Hundreds of protesters appeared throughout the day, shouting insults at ICE and offering coffee to their neighbors on the cold winter day.

Susie Hawyard, a minister, said she went to the scene of the shooting as soon as she heard the news to see “with my own eyes” what happened.

“I was horrified,” she said. “I saw the car, I saw Renee’s car, I saw Renee’s blood.”

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

“They can’t kill someone with impunity. Their actions must have consequences,” 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 officers who saw her fatally shot.

“She was extremely compassionate,” Ganger told the daily. “She cared for people her whole life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an extraordinary human being.”

Even those who didn’t know Good said they were touched by his death.

“Renee represented everything that was good in our community,” said Nimco Ahmad, a Somali immigrant who grew up just blocks from the incident.

Ahmad said she and others came together to help ensure justice was served for good.

Excluding state authorities from the investigation into Good’s killing is likely to undermine public trust, said Edward Maguire, a criminology professor at Arizona State University.

“From a criminological perspective, jurisdictional claims in cases like this are often less about legal requirements and more about political efforts to control the investigation and shape its outcome,” he said.

But the state could still file criminal charges later against the federal officer who killed Good, said Bryna Godar, an attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

With additional reporting by Grace Goodwin