Six federal prosecutors reportedly resigned on Tuesday in reaction to the Justice Department’s handling of the ICE shooting of Minneapolis woman Renee Good.
Senior career prosecutors, including Joseph H. Thompson, Harry Jacobs and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez, left their posts as the DOJ appeared to prioritize investigating the widow of the woman who was killed last Wednesday by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, sources told the New York Times.
Thompson was second in command at Minnesota’s U.S. attorney’s office. Prior to his resignation, he was helping to spearhead a massive fraud investigation into allegations against members of Minnesota’s Somali community, which the Trump administration cited as justification for its immigration crackdown in the North Star state.
Jacobs was Thompson’s deputy, while Calhoun-Lopez was the chief of the violent and major crimes unit.
In addition to the prosecutors reportedly objecting to a criminal investigation into Good’s widow, Becca, Thompson was also said to have taken issue with federal investigators’ unwillingness to allow state officials to participate in considering whether the fatal shooting was legal.
The prosecutors cited by the Times didn’t confirm their reasons for resigning. The Justice Department didn’t immediately comment on the exodus.
The Trump administration and DOJ have insisted that Good’s deadly encounter with Ross was the result of an “act of domestic terrorism” on her part.
Video shows the 37-year-old mother of three being shot while behind the wheel of her slow-moving SUV after being surrounded by immigration agents. She and Becca are seen getting into a tense confrontation with Ross before he appears to fire three shots at the unarmed victim. Federal authorities claim Renee was using her vehicle as a weapon and that Ross fired in self-defense.
Following the shooting, the DOJ declined to pursue a civil rights investigation that would determine whether Ross’ use of deadly force was justified. Instead, they reportedly launched an investigation into alleged connections between the Goods and several groups that had been protesting the presence of ICE agents in Minneapolis.
In a statement obtained by Minnesota Public Radio, Becca Good said she and her wife only “stopped to support our neighbors” who were being targeted by ICE.
