Minnesota investigators said that the FBI has pushed the state out of the investigation of ICE’s fatal shooting of a woman at a protest.
Jan. 8 The Minnesota agency set up to probe use of force incidents said Thursday that the FBI has pushed it out of the investigation of an immigration officer’s fatal shooting of a woman at a protest.
Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said the agency’s Force Investigations Unit was initially set to carry out a joint investigation of the Wednesday shooting along with the FBI. This was decided Wednesday after a meeting between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
“Later that afternoon, the FBI informed the BCA that the U.S. Attorney’s Office had reversed course: The investigation would now be led solely by the FBI, and the BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation”, Evans said in a statement.
He said because the bureau can’t have full access to evidence and other information collected, it has withdrawn from the investigation.
“The BCA Force Investigations Unit was designed to ensure consistency, accountability and public confidence, none of which can be achieved without full cooperation and jurisdictional clarity”, Evans said.
“We expect the FBI to conduct a thorough and complete investigation and that the full investigative file will be shared with the appropriate prosecutorial authorities at both the sate and federal levels.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in a news conference Thursday said state officials must be involved in the investigation, which he described as “reckless.”
The BCA have “non-partisan career professionals that have spent years building the trust of the community”, he said.
“I will continue to press that we be part of the investigation, that we do the investigation, so that Minnesotans can trust what the outcome is.”
Walz said he believes it will be “very difficult” to receive a fair outcome with federal agencies handling the investigation.
He described Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as “judge, jury and executioner.”
“And I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment.
