The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into whether the widow of Renee Nicole Good likely interfered with an ICE agent in the moments before he shot and killed her wife during an encounter in Minneapolis.
Federal investigators are now focusing on Good's widow Rebecca Good, what she was doing in the moments before ICE agent Jonathan Ross opened fire on Jan 7, and whether she had any ties to activist groups, two people familiar with the investigation told NBC News. "There has been no contact from the FBI or federal officials indicating Becca Good is the subject of an investigation," her lawyer, Antonio Ramanucci, told the outlet.
Under the Scanner
The Trump administration has claimed that Ross was forced to use his weapon, saying the 37-year-old mother of three used her SUV as a weapon, hit the officer, and left him with no other option but to fire.
Video from the scene showed Good behind the wheel trying to drive away from the ICE officers after she had been accused of blocking the street and interfering with their enforcement efforts.
Good was in her car with her wife beside her when the situation escalated. Video from the scene shows Good sitting in the driver's seat of her SUV, which was stopped sideways in the street, while her wife stood outside and confronted the ICE officers.
At one point, her wife can be heard shouting at her to "Drive, baby, drive, drive."
As Good began to pull the vehicle away, an ICE agent positioned himself near the front of the SUV and then fired multiple shots through the windshield and side window as the car moved forward.
In footage taken after the shooting, her wife is seen distraught and crying, saying, "It's my fault."
Twist in the Tale
A report from the Minneapolis Fire Department found that Good sustained four gunshots wounds—to her chest, arm and head. The Department of Homeland Security insists the ICE agent acted in self-defense and has described Good as a "domestic terrorist."
Her death has triggered large, often intense protests and clashes between residents and immigration officers in Minneapolis, leading to the deployment of thousands more ICE agents in the area.
Federal authorities are also said to be investigating Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over their responses to the situation.
The investigation is still in its early phase and will examine whether the two Democratic leaders may have worked together to interfere with federal immigration enforcement, according to a source.
The inquiry is believed to have been triggered by public comments from Walz and Frey criticizing the deployment of nearly 3,000 federal law enforcement officers to the Minneapolis area in recent weeks.
"When the governor or the mayor threaten our officers, when the mayor suggests that he's encouraging citizens to call 911 when they see ICE officers, that is very close to a federal crime," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News.
