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He said because the bureau can’t have full access to evidence and other information collected, it has withdrawn from the investigation.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.
