More information is coming out about the ICE agent who fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis Wednesday.
The Minnesota Star Tribune has identified him as Jonathan Ross, the same officer who was dragged and injured by a fleeing driver in a separate incident last year, according to a person with knowledge of the case and verified by court documents.
Also Thursday, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced it was reluctantly withdrawing from the investigation, and the FBI reported it would not be sharing information with the agency.
Former U.S attorney for Minnesota Tom Heffelfinger spoke with WCCO's Chad Hartman and expressed disappointment in the decision.
"I'm extraordinarily disappointed. I think this decision ultimately guarantees that there cannot be a fair and complete investigation of this shooting," Heffelfinger explains.
Heffelfinger didn't pull any punches in expressing the decision as a bad one by federal authorities.
"This is a disgusting decision. It's a decision that makes me really upset," said Heffelfinger.
Those thoughts were echoed by former Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, who also told Hartman the federal government should reconsider and include local authorities for a joint investigation.
"That's what we should have. That's what we must have," Freeman said.
Shortly after the shooting, U.S Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a statement saying the woman killed, Rene Good, was a domestic terrorist who was trying to run over the agent.
Several videos have been taken of the situation disputing that statment.
As far as any recourse the state could take for not being involved in the investigation, the Governor's office told WCCO Radio that they are working on it. Attorney General Keith Ellison also confirmed on CNN they are trying to get the decision reversed.
Heffelfinger says new Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen should reconsider.
"What happened between the middle of the day and late in the afternoon is that somebody in Washington D.C., either in the White House, the Justice Department, Homeland Security, told Mr. Rosen, get the state agents out of your investigation," Heffelfinger told WCCO.
Agent who shot Good was injured in previous incident
Federal court documents show the agent who shot Good was seriously injured in a prior incident in June in which he used force against the driver of another moving vehicle in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Ross got his arm stuck in the window of a vehicle of a driver who was fleeing arrest on an immigration violation, and was dragged roughly 100 yards down a street before he was knocked free. During the incident, Mr. Ross fired his Taser and prongs struck the driver but did not incapacitate him, according to prosecutors.
The driver later claimed he did not know the man trying to stop him was a federal agent. A jury rejected that argument last month and found the driver guilty of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon.
Vance scolds the media for Minneapolis slaying coverage
Appearing in the White House briefing room, the vice president’s voice rose as he decried what he called the “corporate media” for its coverage of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer having shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis.
“This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people,” said Vance, who maintained it has not been portrayed that way by many journalists.
“The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace,” he added. “And it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day.”
Noem says officer followed training
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday in New York that there would be a federal investigation into the shooting, adding that she believes the officer followed his training and the shooting was justified. She again called the woman’s actions “domestic terrorism.”
“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."
The ICE officer has not been publicly identified. Noem said he was taken to a hospital after being hit by the vehicle and has since been discharged.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara gave no indication that the driver was trying to harm anyone when he described the shooting to reporters Wednesday.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called Noem’s description of the events “garbage,” saying he had watched videos of the shooting that show it wasn’t self-defense and was avoidable.