Editorial | If DOJ won’t investigate Good’s death, let Minnesota do it

Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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The U.S. Department of Justice says it has no interest in investigating Renee Good’s death by an ICE agent. Federal officials have already labeled the killing a defensive act and moved on. But if that conclusion is sound, it should withstand scrutiny beyond the walls of Washington.

What is unfolding in Minnesota is not merely a transparency dispute. It’s a breakdown in due process at a moment of intense national scrutiny. When federal authorities barred state investigators from reviewing evidence in a fatal shooting on a south Minneapolis street, they did more than limit access. They denied the public a credible and independent accounting of the federal killing of an American citizen.

Good, 37, died Jan. 7 after she was shot multiple times by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross. Video from multiple bystanders and Ross’ own phone has gone viral.

But state law enforcement officials have been frozen out of the investigation into Good’s death. If the DOJ believes its conclusion is sound, federal officials should promptly share the evidence with Minnesota law enforcement for an independent review.

A thorough review of the evidence by a trusted Minnesota agency could help de-escalate dangerous tensions between ICE agents and activists on our streets. Continuing to block state law enforcement professionals will do just the opposite, deepening distrust in a city still recovering from George Floyd’s 2020 murder by a police officer.

The Star Tribune has also reported that a wave of resignations at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the state is linked to “directives from top federal officials to staff members after the killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross ... . That included blocking the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) from the investigation into the shooting and a request from the Justice Department to investigate Good’s widow for possible federal charges.”

Another red flag: State and federal officials have successfully collaborated on other high-profile recent tragedies in Minnesota, such as the shootings at Annunciation Catholic Church and the assassinations of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband. So far, there’s no credible explanation for punting on the partnership for Good’s shooting.

State law enforcement can still investigate Good’s death. But doing so without key evidence is daunting.

To be more specific, Minnesota BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said earlier this month that his agency no longer has “access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation.”

So who is investigating Good’s death? On Sunday, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear that the U.S. Department of Justice will not be.

It is unclear, at best, whether Ross was defending himself. And Blanche’s attempt to characterize Good’s death as an easily justified, open-and-shut case defies the eyeball test after watching the horror captured by video.

Blanche and U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi need to understand that Minnesotans will not let this go. Good, a mother of three and a member of our community, was killed by a government agent. It’s imperative that we understand how and why and ensure we don’t lose anyone else as thousands of ICE agents roam our streets.

Sharing evidence with Minnesota law enforcement officials is the first step to prevent another such tragedy. If the DOJ isn’t interested in understanding how Good’s death happened and keeping the rest of us safe, her home state certainly is.

“ICE agents are not above the law, and Renee Good is not beneath it. Justice demands a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation into the killing of Renee Good,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Jan. 19. “If the federal government is unable or unwilling to conduct such an investigation, they must turn over their evidence so the state can conduct that investigation.”

Ellison said he is continuing to encourage the U.S. Attorney’s Office to provide state law enforcement full access to investigative materials in their possession. In the meantime, he is encouraging Minnesotans with evidence to share regarding the death of Renee Good to submit that evidence to the portal launched by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in partnership with Ellison’s office.

The Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board condemns strategies, however well-intended, that place at risk churches’ centuries-old tradition as places of sanctuary. But the DOJ is signaling that investigating this disruption is a higher priority than investigating a Minnesota mom’s death. Accountability isn’t accountability when it’s only served up selectively.

If the DOJ won’t conduct a robust investigation, decency demands it assist, not obstruct, the state doing so. The state’s Republican congressional delegation should also wield its considerable clout with the Trump administration to make this happen.