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Topics: JD Vance, Minnesota, Crime, Immigration
Phoebe Tonks
Topics: JD Vance, Minnesota, Crime, Immigration
Vice President JD Vance has indicated that the ICE agent responsible for the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota will not face any charges.
Addressing members of the press on Thursday, Vance told reporters that the agent has ‘absolute immunity’ from any charges as a consequence of the death.
"He was doing his job,” Vance explained.
“The idea that Tim Walz and a bunch of radicals are going to go after and make this guy’s life miserable because he was doing the job that he was asked to do is preposterous."
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During the briefing, a reporter asked the vice president why Minnesota’s investigations agency had said that the US attorney’s office had ‘essentially cut off the state investigations agency’s access to the investigation,’ and what the precedent was for such a restriction.
In response, Vance quickly retorted: "First of all, I wish the state officials in Minnesota would investigate why you have so many people who are using their vehicles and other means to actually interfere with a legitimate law enforcement operation."
"The precedent here is very simple,” he continued. "You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue.
"That guy is protected by absolute immunity," Vance commented. "I’ve never seen anything like that. It would get tossed out by a judge.”
Vance’s comments come after reports emerged that Kash Patel’s FBI had shut down the investigation access, as they didn’t want to participate in a joint investigation.
This lack of co-operation has led state authorities to complain that they have been unable to access crucial evidence in the case.
The head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Drew Evans, said that the U.S. attorney’s office had barred it from taking part in the investigation.
He added: "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.”
Renee Nicole Good, 37, was fatally shot during an altercation with immigration enforcement officials on Wednesday.
While the circumstances surrounding her death continue to remain unclear, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that the woman ‘weaponized her vehicle’ and branded the incident an ‘act of domestic terrorism' - a view that was later reiterated by President Trump.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, however, has rejected this view and instead argued that the ICE officer who shot and killed the motorist acted ‘recklessly’ and rejected federal officials' claims that the officer had acted in self-defense.
An investigation into the incident is now underway.