Federal, state and city officials in the United States are at odds over how to conduct an investigation into the shooting in which a woman was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday (January 7).
The victim is Renee Nicole Goode (37), a mother of three, who relatives say had just dropped her children off at school before her death.
Initial claims that the ICE agent fired in self-defense were called into question after the release of multiple videos of witnesses and officers at the scene.
The incident sparked protests in Minneapolis and other cities across the US. ICE agents then shot and wounded two people in the state of Oregon on Thursday.
Disputes over the investigation
After initially announcing a joint investigation with Minnesota authorities, the Donald Trump administration gave the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sole jurisdiction and excluded Minnesota and Minneapolis from the investigation.
Drew Evans, director of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCA), said that this would mean his police agency would not have access to the case, evidence, and interview materials.
On Friday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for a joint investigation, saying the BCA has "consistently conducted these types of investigations before."
"If it's not a problem to have more people at the table who are deeply committed to the process, to transparency, and who have already conducted these kinds of investigations, then why not include them in the process?" asked Frej, who first labeled the claims of self-defense shootings as "bullshit".
District Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said they would gather video footage and witness statements to examine whether the ICE officer should be charged in Minnesota.
In a statement, Evans said the BCA offered “limited assistance” to the district attorney’s office in collecting, filing and preserving evidence “so it is not lost.” He added that the evidence would be forwarded to the FBI.
However, it is disputed whether the federal agent could face charges at the Minnesota level. US Vice President J.D. Vance said the officer has “absolute immunity” from prosecution at the state level.
Moriarty acknowledged that there are obstacles to prosecuting lower-level federal officials, but disagreed with Vance's assertion that an agent's immunity is "absolute."
"We have the authority to make this decision based on what happened," Moriarty said Friday. "It doesn't matter that it was a federal employee."
Federal and state agencies have collaborated on investigations before. One notable case was the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. That 2020 case sparked massive Black Lives Matter protests.
More footage of the murder
Footage from multiple angles was posted online or obtained by the media.
The footage shows immigration officers approaching Renee Goode's vehicle as it was parked crosswise on a suburban street.
In some of the footage, the officer can be seen ordering the woman out of the car. The vehicle then moves in reverse, then forward and to the right, as if trying to get away from the officer on the scene.
A third officer, who is seen filming the situation with his cell phone, pulls out a gun and fires three shots into the vehicle.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that during an ICE operation in June, the officer was "dragged" by a vehicle whose driver tried to flee the scene.
The officer was identified by media as a former member of the Indiana National Guard. He was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and 2005, and has been with ICE since 2015.
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