US Justice Department refuses probe into killing of Minneapolis mother

The US Justice Department has confirmed it is not opening a criminal or civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday that the department would not investigate the January 7 shooting of Renee Good, in which ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed the Minneapolis mother at close range.

The incident occurred less than a mile from the site where George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police in May 2020.

The killing of Good was captured on at least five videos, including footage recorded by Ross himself.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Blanche dismissed calls for a federal investigation, including those voiced by Minnesota governor Tim Walz, saying publicly available video evidence showed the agent had acted in “self-defense.”

“The Department of Justice, our civil rights unit, we don’t just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody putting his life in danger,” Blanche said. “We investigate when it’s appropriate to investigate and that is not the case here.”

He added that the department would not respond to pressure from politicians or the media and confirmed that no investigation was underway.

The official was not asked to explain how the department’s stance differed from its response to Floyd’s death, which prompted a federal civil rights investigation during the first administration of Donald Trump.

Independent forensic analysis of the video footage by outlets including The New York Times and Bellingcat has contradicted claims by Trump that Good “ran over” the ICE agent. The analysis found no evidence supporting that account.

Earlier on Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE, also said no federal investigation was necessary, arguing that the videos showed Ross was attacked by a car and that an internal agency review would be sufficient.

The Justice Department’s position contrasts with its actions in 2020, when federal prosecutors and the FBI announced within days of Floyd’s death that they were conducting a “robust criminal investigation” alongside the department’s civil rights division.

Then-attorney general William Barr described video of Floyd’s killing as “harrowing to watch and deeply disturbing.”

That investigation ultimately led to the 2022 federal civil rights convictions of four Minneapolis police officers. Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd’s neck, pleaded guilty, while three others were convicted of deliberate indifference to Floyd’s medical needs.

Witnesses to the shooting of Good have said federal officers prevented a man who identified himself as a physician from providing medical assistance and blocked ambulances when they arrived at the scene.

The decision not to investigate has come amid broader unrest in Minnesota and beyond.

Protests erupted after Good’s killing and have continued despite freezing temperatures, with demonstrators condemning the use of federal immigration agents and condemning authorities for intimidation.

In response, Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act. The Pentagon has confirmed that about 1,500 active-duty troops have been ordered to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota if directed by the president. Defense officials said the move followed Trump’s warning that troops could be sent to assist ICE.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump accused Minnesota officials of failing to stop what he described as “professional agitators and insurrectionists” and said he would use the Insurrection Act if necessary. The White House said the decision to deploy troops rests solely with the president.

The unrest prompted US District Judge Katherine Menendez to issue an injunction on Friday, reminding federal agents that they may not arrest or retaliate against peaceful protesters or use crowd-dispersal weapons such as pepper spray. The ruling came amid heightened political tension following two recent shootings involving federal immigration agents in the state, including Good’s death.

Within the justice department, the handling of the case has triggered internal dissent. A wave of federal prosecutors in Minnesota and Washington resigned in protest over the refusal to open a civil rights investigation. Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel later traveled to Minneapolis to meet with prosecutors and federal immigration officers.

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