Minnesota officials open state probe into ICE shooting as protests spread

Minnesota officials have launched their own investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, as protests spread across several U.S. cities and tensions grow between state and federal authorities.

The announcement came one day after Minnesota’s lead investigative agency, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), said the FBI reversed its initial cooperation and blocked state investigators from accessing scene evidence, interviewing witnesses and obtaining other materials.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, a Democrat, said she was concerned that without the involvement of the BCA, her office might not receive sufficient evidence to determine whether state criminal charges against the officer could be warranted.

The move could result in parallel investigations into the shooting. Moriarty said the FBI has taken possession of the woman’s vehicle for forensic analysis.

U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have dismissed the possibility that a federal officer could face state charges, though legal precedent exists. Moriarty rejected that position.

“To be sure, there are complex legal issues involved when a federal law enforcement officer is involved,” Moriarty said. “But the law is clear: we do have jurisdiction to make this decision.”

The dispute highlights growing friction between local and federal authorities amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, particularly in mostly Democratic-run cities where local leaders oppose the deployment of federal agents.

Earlier, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, also a Democrat, accused the Trump administration of attempting to predetermine the outcome of the investigation by excluding state authorities.

“This is a time to follow the law,” Frey said. “This is not a time to hide from the facts.”

Conflicting accounts of the shooting

Trump administration officials have described the shooting as an act of self-defense, accusing the woman, Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, of deliberately aiming her car at the officer in what they called an act of “domestic terrorism.”

Mayor Frey rejected that characterisation, calling it “garbage.”

Bystander videos of the incident appear to show Good turning her vehicle’s wheels away from the officer as she drives forward. The officer is seen firing three shots while moving backward from the front of the car. The final shots appear to be fired through the driver’s side window after the vehicle’s front bumper had already passed the officer’s legs.

Since the killing, Trump administration officials have doubled down on their version of events. President Trump wrote on social media that the car “ran over” the officer, while Vice President Vance accused Good of “attacking” federal agents and praised the officer’s actions.

Similar incident in Portland

The Minnesota shooting came as a similar incident was reported in Portland, Oregon, where a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and wounded a man and woman in their vehicle following an attempted traffic stop.

The Department of Homeland Security said the driver “weaponized” the car in an attempt to run over the agent, who fired in self-defense.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, echoing concerns raised in Minnesota, said an independent investigation was needed before the government’s account could be accepted.

“There was a time when we could take them at their word,” Wilson said of federal officials. “That time is long past.”

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield told CNN that cooperation between federal and state investigators was continuing, but said it was too early to draw conclusions.

Protests and political fallout

The two shootings have triggered thousands of protesters in Minneapolis, Portland and other U.S. cities, with more demonstrations expected over the weekend. In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz has placed the state’s National Guard on alert.

Democratic mayors and governors in both states have called on the Trump administration to withdraw federal officers, arguing their presence is escalating tensions and sowing chaos.

The ICE officer who shot Good was part of a deployment of more than 2,000 federal personnel sent to Minneapolis in what DHS described as the “largest operation” in its history.

The officer has been identified by federal officials as Jonathan Ross, who was previously injured after being dragged by a vehicle during an arrest attempt last summer. DHS has declined to officially confirm his name.

Family response

Good’s wife, Becca Good, who was present at the scene, said the couple had stopped to support their neighbours.

“We had whistles,” she said in a statement to Minnesota Public Radio. “They had guns.”

She described her late wife as someone who believed deeply in kindness and compassion.

“Renee lived by an overarching belief: there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow,” she said.

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