Federal, state and city officials in to the United States are at loggerheads over how to conduct an investigation into the shooting they were involved in on Wednesday (Jan. 7) a woman was killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minneapolis (ICE).
The victim is Renee Nicole Good (37), a mother of three children, whose relatives say she had just taken the children to school before her death. DW.
Initial claims that the ICE agent fired in self-defense have been called into question after multiple videos of witnesses and officers from the scene were released.
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 in the past."
"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 such investigations, then why not include them in the process?" asked Frey, who first labeled the claims about self-defense shots as bullshit.
District Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said they would collect video footage and witness statements to investigate 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 gathering, filing and preserving evidence "so it is not lost." He added that the evidence will be forwarded to the FBI.
However, it is disputed whether a federal agent could face charges at the Minnesota level. US Vice President JD Vance said the official 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 previously cooperated on investigations. One of the famous ones was a police killing 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.
Some videos show the officer ordering the woman to get out of the car. The vehicle then goes backwards, then forwards and to the right, as if trying to get away from officers 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, that officer was "dragged" by a vehicle whose driver tried to flee the scene.
Media identified the officer as a former member of the Indiana National Guard. He was deployed in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, and has been working for ICE since 2015.
Source: DW
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