The head of Minnesota's state investigations agency said Thursday that the U.S. attorney's office has barred it from taking part in the investigation into an ICE officer's fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman.
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement that after the agency consulted with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, the U.S. attorney’s office and the FBI following the Wednesday shooting of 37-year-old mother of three Renee Nicole Macklin Good, “it was decided that the BCA Force Investigations Unit would conduct a joint investigation with the FBI” and that the "BCA responded promptly to the scene and began coordinating investigative work in good faith.
He said the FBI informed the BCA later Wednesday that the U.S. attorney’s office had changed the plan.
“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 wrote.
“Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands. As a result, the BCA has reluctantly withdrawn from the investigation.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,” he wrote.
The BCA says they remain fully committed their partnerships to build public trust in use of deadly force investigations.
"If the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI were to reconsider this approach and express a willingness to resume a joint investigation, the BCA is prepared to reengage in support of our shared goal of public safety in Minnesota," they say.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, when asked on CNN Thursday if the FBI or any federal agency has shared information on the investigation with the state, said he didn't want to get into any definitive answers, hoping to still get more cooperation.
"I'm still trying to reverse this decision, quite honestly. I'm trying to say don't do this stupid thing," Ellison responded. "Do not go forward with an exclusive, an inherently untrustworthy investigation. Do what is right. Do what is wise. Do what is best for this country and have an inclusive, joint investigation that includes joint cooperation with state and local authorities."
Ellison called the statement from the Minnesota BCA very concerning.
"Again, this is not news to me, this problem is not new. We've been trying to figure out how we get somebody at the FBI to understand the kind of damage they're doing with this decision," said the Attorney General.
Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem was asked about it just after the statement from the Minnesota BCA came out, and said the state has no jurisdiction in the case.
"They have not been cut out," she said. "They don't have any jurisdiction in this investigation. I'd like to know where they've been and why they're not on the streets investigating all of these people that are harassing and inciting violence against law enforcement officers right now. Maybe they should get to work on the unprecedented fraud. Minnesota is a trainwreck."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.