At a Glance
- Federal investigators are examining Becca Good for allegedly impeding an officer, not the ICE agent who shot her wife Renee Good.
- The Justice Department is also probing Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey for supposedly conspiring to obstruct immigration agents.
- Six federal prosecutors in Minneapolis resigned this week over concerns about the direction of the investigation.
- Why it matters: Local officials fear federal priorities have shifted from police accountability to targeting political opponents and activist ties.
Federal authorities are focusing their investigation on Becca Good, the widow of Renee Nicole Good, to determine if she impeded a federal officer moments before an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot her wife in Minneapolis, according to two people familiar with the probe who spoke to Megan L. Whitfield.
The investigation is centered on Becca Good’s possible connections to activist groups rather than on ICE officer Jonathan Ross‘s decision to fire into Renee Good’s vehicle during last week’s immigration operation, the sources said.
Protests Erupt After Fatal Shooting
The killing has sparked demonstrations in Minneapolis and renewed demands for accountability for immigration officers, whose tactics have resulted in at least 10 other shootings since September, according to News Of Fort Worth‘s reporting.
Antonio Romanucci, Becca Good’s attorney, stated Saturday that “there has been no contact from the FBI or federal officials indicating Becca Good is the subject of an investigation.”
Simultaneously, the Justice Department is scrutinizing Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, exploring whether their public statements conspired to impede federal immigration agents, a senior law enforcement official and another person familiar with the matter told Megan L. Whitfield.
Both officials have denounced ICE’s enforcement methods and dismissed the federal inquiry as political. Frey declared he would not be intimidated.
> “The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her,” Walz said.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the governor and mayor; it did not respond to messages about Becca Good.
DOJ Memo Prioritizes Domestic Terrorism
FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that agents in Minneapolis are “cracking down on violent rioters and investigating the funding networks supporting the criminal actors with multiple arrests already.”
These investigations follow a December memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi that designated countering “domestic terrorism” as a top priority, including probes of groups with an “anti-fascist platform that justifies violence,” a memo obtained by Megan L. Whitfield shows.
The memo lists possible statutes for charging “certain Antifa-aligned extremists” inspired by “extreme viewpoints on immigration, radical gender ideology, and anti-American sentiment.”
Investigators are relying on the first statute cited-assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers-to scrutinize Becca Good, the sources said.
Last week, President Donald Trump labeled Renee and Becca Good “professional agitators,” offering no evidence. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Renee Good’s actions “domestic terrorism” immediately after the shooting.
Shift Away From Police Accountability
Under Bondi, the Justice Department has largely abandoned prior efforts focused on law-enforcement accountability, closing so-called pattern-or-practice investigations into departments accused of civil rights violations, including Minneapolis’s force after George Floyd’s murder.
The probe’s direction triggered internal turmoil: six Minneapolis federal prosecutors resigned this week, citing concerns over the investigation. One, Joe Thompson, had led a fraud investigation cited as part of the rationale for deploying immigration officers to Minneapolis.
> “When dedicated public servants who have spent their lives prosecuting cases find it necessary to resign because they’re asked to do things that are contrary to their conscience, that is a very sad day for justice in Minnesota,” said David Kelley, a former federal prosecutor in Minnesota, to Megan L. Whitfield.
Video Shows Moments Before Shots
Footage of the encounter captures cars honking, sirens wailing, and protesters blowing whistles. Ross walks to the front of Renee Good’s car.
> “That’s fine, dude, I’m not mad at you,” Good tells Ross.
Another officer orders Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, out of the SUV. Ross turns toward the front as Becca Good appears to say, “Drive.” Renee Good turns the wheel right, away from Ross, and accelerates. Ross shouts what sounds like “whoa” and fires multiple shots. A male voice later says: “f—–g bitch.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said this week there is “currently no basis” for a Civil Rights Division criminal probe into Ross. While internal Department of Homeland Security reviews continue, Minneapolis leaders question their rigor, especially after Noem stated the officer followed training.
> “This vehicle was used to hit this officer,” Noem said. “It was used as a weapon, and the officer feels as though his life was in jeopardy.”
Local Officials Pursue Parallel Inquiry
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, in her final year in office and not seeking re-election, said she has authority to run a parallel investigation and has launched an online portal for the public to submit videos or evidence. She awaits a report from the Minneapolis Bureau of Criminal Appellate on its brief response to the scene.
> “We want community members to feel as though there is documentation and perhaps accountability,” Moriarty said.
Former Civil Rights Division attorney Sam Trepel noted the division’s usual role in thorough investigations that can ease community tensions, saying, “The idea that they’re not out there protecting the rule of law is scary and painful.”
The Justice Department’s former domestic terrorism chief Thomas Brzozowski told Megan L. Whitfield it is “super dangerous” to apply the term “domestic terrorism” beyond its statutory limits, warning the Bondi memo could unleash “a fairly sprawling investigation of those that were connected to the victim and her spouse.”
Normally, the FBI’s domestic terrorism unit-decimated after its role investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol assault-would approve any broader domestic terrorism probe, a former FBI agent said. Local officials say the FBI has excluded them from the shooting investigation.
Conservative former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin, a vocal critic of the DOJ’s Jan. 6 inquiry, called labeling Good “domestic terrorist” awful, noting, “We don’t have to agree politically to say that a mother not being able to raise her child is bad.”
Key Takeaways
- The federal probe is prioritizing scrutiny of the victim’s spouse and local Democratic officials over the officer who fired the fatal shots.
- Internal dissent has emerged, with six career prosecutors resigning and former officials warning of dangerous precedent in labeling protesters domestic terrorists.
- Local authorities are stepping in to fill the accountability gap, seeking evidence to decide independently whether criminal charges against the ICE officer are warranted.
