Tensions escalated and clashes erupted in Minneapolis after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a 37-year-old woman during a protest Wednesday, triggering conflicting accounts from federal and state officials and prompting outrage nationwide. The Department of Homeland Security identified the woman as Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen who had relocated to the Twin Cities from the Kansas City area. Federal officials allege Good was trying to strike officers with her vehicle when the shooting occurred. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem labeled the incident an act of “domestic terrorism,” arguing the car was used as a “deadly weapon.”
State and city leaders strongly reject that version of events. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said video evidence does not support claims that Good drove toward the agent or attempted to use her car as a weapon. “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying — getting killed,” Frey said. Gov. Tim Walz echoed that assessment, describing the shooting as “reckless” and urging the public to question federal narratives.
The controversy deepened Thursday when the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) announced it was removed from the investigation. Drew Evans, the agency’s superintendent, said the BCA’s Force Investigations Unit had initially planned a joint probe with the FBI, following coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. That arrangement was abruptly reversed.
Evans said: “Later that afternoon, the FBI informed the BCA that the U.S. Attorney’s Office had reversed course: The investigation would now be led solely by the FBI, and the BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation.” Without full access to evidence, Evans said, the bureau withdrew. “The BCA Force Investigations Unit was designed to ensure consistency, accountability and public confidence, none of which can be achieved without full cooperation and jurisdictional clarity,” he said, adding that officials expect the FBI to complete a comprehensive inquiry and share findings with prosecutors at both levels of government.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office is exploring alternatives to ensure state-level oversight continues. “After the FBI rescinded its cooperation agreement with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, our office immediately began exploring all options to ensure a state level investigation can continue,” she said. Moriarty warned that if the FBI remains the sole investigator, the state and public may never see the findings, undermining transparency.
Gov. Walz said excluding Minnesota investigators threatens public trust, noting that the BCA is staffed by “non-partisan career professionals that have spent years building the trust of the community. I will continue to press that we be part of the investigation, that we do the investigation, so that Minnesotans can trust what the outcome is.” The governor also questioned the fairness of a purely federal probe and accused national leaders of prejudging the case, calling Noem “judge, jury and executioner.”
At the White House, Vice President JD Vance forcefully defended the ICE officer, bristling at descriptions of the agent as a “federal assassin.” He characterized Good’s actions as an “attack on federal law enforcement” and an “attack on the American people,” saying, “she was trying to ram this guy with her car. He shot back. He defended himself … The reason this woman is dead, is because she tried to ram somebody with her car, and that guy acted in self-defense. That is why she lost her life, and that is the tragedy.” Vance acknowledged uncertainty about Good’s intent, saying “Look, if people want to say that we should have a legitimate debate about, you know, what was she really doing? Right? Was she panicking when she drove into this officer, or was she actually trying to ram him? That’s a reasonable conversation. I don’t know what is in a person’s heart or in a person’s head.” He also alleged, without evidence, that Good was part of a “left-wing network” targeting ICE officers.
As the FBI assumes sole control of the investigation, Minnesota leaders remain skeptical that justice will be served. Walz said he is doubtful a “fair outcome” can be reached without state involvement, while Frey dismissed ICE’s account as “bulls—” and urged residents not to accept what Walz called a federal “propaganda machine.”
Editorial credit: Alejandro Diaz Manrique / Shutterstock.com
