DOJ Won’t Pursue Investigation into Renee Good’s Death
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has decided not to move forward with a criminal or civil rights investigation regarding the shooting death of Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minneapolis, as announced by a senior official on Tuesday.
This decision represents a shift from previous administrations, which often initiated a civil rights review following fatal law enforcement incidents, even when criminal charges seemed unlikely.
Sources familiar with the situation indicated that the Civil Rights Division was informed last week they would not be involved in any ongoing investigation for now. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed this stance, stating to Fox News Digital that “there is no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation at this time.”
Interestingly, Blanche’s comments were first reported by CNN, but they didn’t elaborate on how the DOJ reached this conclusion.
Federal officials have claimed that Good acted in self-defense when he approached ICE agents, labeling the actions of the driver as “domestic terrorism.” However, the decision to exclude the Civil Rights Division from the investigation, even before its conclusion, has raised eyebrows about the administration’s commitment to thoroughly examining the shooting incident.
Reports state that Minnesota authorities believe federal agents obstructed state investigators from gathering evidence in the case, suggesting that state officials did not have the jurisdiction to conduct an independent inquiry.
“Like in any officer-involved shooting, each law enforcement agency has procedures for internal investigations,” a DOJ spokesperson noted, clarifying that ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting its own investigation alongside the FBI’s involvement.
This decision has resulted in several resignations among federal prosecutors connected to the case. Approximately six prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, along with some supervisors from the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, have resigned in recent days.
Among those resigning was Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson, who had been overseeing major fraud prosecutions in Minnesota, according to sources familiar with the matter. The circumstances surrounding these resignations have sparked criticism from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Frey expressed his discontent on social media, stating, “Prosecutors are heroes and those pushing to prosecute Renee’s widow are monsters… This administration has ousted the prosecutors working on these cases and has hindered efforts to fight corruption.”
Concerns are growing regarding a broader trend of career DOJ attorneys leaving amid political pressures and shifting law enforcement priorities under the current administration. The DOJ has stated that Thompson’s resignation was not linked to the Minnesota incident and that he had expressed interest in an early retirement program prior to the shooting.
