Minnesota officials say the FBI has blocked their access to an investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Protests and vigils have occurred nationwide after the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who died on Wednesday after being shot in her car. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has accused the Trump administration of blocking state officials from involvement in the case, but the US vice president said the investigation is a federal issue. Officials have offered differing accounts of the incident, with the Trump administration claiming the ICE agent was acting in self defence, while local officials say the woman posed no danger. Amid calls for a transparent investigation, the FBI has taken over the probe, with a Minnesota agency saying it has been blocked from accessing key materials. Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said the FBI had initially agreed to a joint investigation with state officials but then reversed course and denied the state access to materials and evidence. Without the ability to access all the necessary case materials and evidence, the BCA has "reluctantly withdrawn" from the investigation, the BCA's superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Walz said he was worried the federal government would not be able to carry out an unbiased investigation. "It feels now that Minnesota has been taken out of the investigation," Walz said. "It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome." Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Thursday that the investigation into the shooting was a federal issue, arguing it would go against precedent for a local official to be involved in prosecuting the case. At the scene of the crash on Thursday, blood from the shooting could still be seen in the snow. People set up a vigil at the site to honour Good, lining the bank with candles and roses. Hundreds of demonstrators showed up throughout the day, shouting insults at ICE and offering their neighbours coffee on the cold winter day. Protesters also gathered at a federal building in Minneapolis early Thursday morning, where they were met with armed officers. The protests remained largely peaceful there, as residents expressed their anger over the killing of Good. Thousands of people across the country have taken to the streets to protest against two back-to-back shootings involving federal agents in Minneapolis and Portland. Hundreds of anti-ICE protesters took over Foley Square in Manhattan for a second night in a row on Thursday. Among them was the newly sworn-in Manhattan Borough President, Democrat Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who told CNN affiliate WABC that what happened to Good in Minneapolis could happen in Manhattan. "That's why it's so important that we take to the streets and make our opinions known," he said. Roughly a dozen local immigrant rights groups gathered for a vigil at Philadelphia City Hall on Thursday night that turned into a protest march through the city and ended peacefully at around 8 p.m. Two separate protests broke out in Louisville Thursday night, with demonstrators eventually converging on a route that was once trailed by protesters in the aftermath of Breonna Taylor's death in 2020. "These people are here because they're outraged," one demonstrator said. Demonstrators gathered for a second day near the Massachusetts State House to protest the fatal shooting of Good. Holding up signs, demonstrators chanted and expressed their anger towards the incident, with some calling for ICE to leave American cities. Demonstrators gathered in Central Texas to stand in solidarity with Minneapolis and call for ICE to leave local communities alone. Protesters held signs reading "ICE out of Texas" and "Justice for Renee Nicole Good" as they filled sidewalks and street corners. Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol to demand accountability for the killing of Good. They filled the Capitol steps with posters, chants and calls for both a federal investigation and a suspension of ICE operations. — Agencies
