MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman by an immigration officer in Minneapolis shouldn’t be overseen solely by the federal government, two of the state’s leading Democrats said Sunday.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith both said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.
“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened?” Smith said on ABC’s “This Week.”
The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Renee Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem deflected questions about the moments surrounding the shooting during an interview with CNN and dismissed complaints from Minnesota officials about local agencies being denied participation in the investigation.
Frey and Noem each pointed fingers at the other for their rhetoric after Good's killing, and each pushed their own firm conclusions about what video of the incident shows. The mayor stood by his assertions that videos show a federal agent recklessly abusing power that ended up in somebody’s dying.
“Let’s have the investigation in the hands of someone that isn’t biased,” Frey said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The killing of Good on Wednesday by an ICE officer has sparked widespread protests across the nation, including demonstrations in Minneapolis as thousands marched against immigration enforcement tactics.
