Walz asks Trump administration to ‘leave Minnesota alone’; FBI takes over ICE shooting investigation – InForum

ST. PAUL — The day after a woman was fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis, Gov. Tim Walz asked protesters to remain peaceful and implored the Trump administration to “leave our state alone.”

Protests continued throughout the day Thursday, Jan. 8, in response to the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed in her car Wednesday morning in south Minneapolis.

Walz activated the National Guard to a “staging area” Thursday afternoon, but guard members had yet to be deployed to city streets. Walz had alerted the guard to be ready on Wednesday; Thursday’s move is an extra step to ensure guard members are all in one place and can be deployed quickly if needed, a spokesperson with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension explained.

Earlier Thursday, the BCA said the FBI has taken over the investigation into the incident, which was originally set to be a joint investigation between the BCA and the FBI.

Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said it would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible,” to conduct a separate state investigation without the cooperation of the federal government.

“We would welcome the opportunity to jump back in to do that investigation, use our high-quality investigators from the BCA to be able to do that with them, to find the answers that the public deserves,” he said. “Without any of that information, without any of that assistance from the FBI or the federal government, we would be at a loss.”

Commissioner of Public Safety Bob Jacobson on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, discusses the investigation into a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday. ASL interpreter Nic Zapko is at left.

Mary Murphy / Forum News Service

Walz said he will continue to push for the state’s involvement, but it’s unclear how the case could be prosecuted.

According to state law, the Attorney General Keith Ellison’s Office would not usually have jurisdiction over the case unless the governor assigns it to his office.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, meanwhile, could prosecute the case. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said they are exploring all options to ensure a state-level investigation can continue.

“If the FBI is the sole investigative agency, the state will not receive the investigative findings, and our community may never learn about its contents,” she said.

Local, state and federal officials have already expressed differing accounts of what led up to the fatal shooting and how it played out.

While Walz said he has seen video of the shooting, he doesn’t have a “predetermined notion” of what happened and called for a full investigation.

The Department of Homeland Security has characterized the shooting as an act of self-defense, claiming the ICE officer, “fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.”

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Thursday that DHS would not “expose” the name of the officer after several media outlets, including

Reuters,

identified the officer as Jonathan Ross, citing court records.

McLaughlin went on to say that the officer involved is a longtime ICE officer with more than 10 years of experience and acted “according to his training.”

“DHS will never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers,” she said. “Doxxing our officers put their lives and their families in serious danger.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had a few choice words for DHS during a Wednesday news conference and on social media.

“Let’s call a spade a spade: Kristi Noem watched the videos and doesn’t want an impartial investigation because she knows her narrative about domestic terrorism is bulls—,” Frey

posted on X.

Protesters are seen Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at Portland Avenue and 34th Street in Minneapolis, the site of a fatal ICE shooting Wednesday.

John Molseed / Post Bulletin

During his Thursday news conference with the Department of Public Safety, Walz said Minnesotans “met the moment” Wednesday night and encouraged protesters to remain peaceful and not “give them what they want.”

Thursday afternoon, hundreds of people were still at the scene of the shooting — on Portland Avenue and 34th Street — which was closed off with makeshift barriers. Protesters there were subdued, with the occasional shout of “Arrest the shooter” and “ICE out of our neighborhood” from a megaphone.

Walz said he hadn’t spoken to President Donald Trump as of Thursday morning, but if he did, he would ask him to leave Minnesota alone.

“Just give us a pause. Let us breathe. We’re exhausted. We’re exhausted as Minnesotans. We’re exhausted as Americans, and this relentless assault on Minnesota for whatever reason is just cruel … so please just give us a break,” Walz said.

“And if it’s me, you’re already getting what you want (referring to his exit from the election), but leave my people alone. Leave our state alone.”

DHS said “investigations in Minneapolis are accelerating” as of an 11:14 a.m.

post on X.

Post Bulletin reporter John Molseed contributed to this report.

Mary Murphy joined Forum Communications in October 2024 as the Minnesota State Correspondent. She can be reached by email at [email protected].