Career prosecutors in the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division were told they will not take part in the investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, a decision that is intensifying scrutiny of how the Trump administration is handling a politically charged use-of-force case that has already sparked protests and claims of self-defense.
Two people familiar with internal deliberations told CBS News that leadership of the Civil Rights Division, overseen by Harmeet Dhillon, informed staff in the division's criminal section that they would not investigate.
CBS reported that prosecutors who typically deploy to major officer-involved shootings offered to travel to Minnesota but were told not to.
DOJ guidance says death-resulting "color of law" cases are presumptively of national interest and that the Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section "should be contacted immediately" in high-profile officer-involved shootings under 18 U.S.C. 242.
The Department of Justice said Thursday that the FBI is leading the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, 37, by an ICE agent.
DOJ also routinely lists Civil Rights Division trial attorneys on prosecution teams in cases in which excessive force is alleged, even as the FBI is commonly the lead civil rights investigative agency.
At the state level, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the FBI rescinded a cooperation agreement with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, warning that if the FBI is the only investigative agency, "our community may never learn about its contents."
That bureau said it withdrew after being cut off from "access to the case materials, scene evidence, or investigative interviews" needed for an independent use-of-force investigation, while offering limited help preserving evidence for county prosecutors and the FBI.
Meanwhile, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both D-Minn., urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to restore a joint federal-state inquiry, arguing it is necessary for a "thorough, objective, and impartial investigation."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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