A supervisor from the FBI office in Minneapolis resigned after unsuccessfully attempting to investigate the federal agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good on January 7.
The decision comes at a time of high tension in the city, following the killing of another American citizen, Alex Pretti, by federal agents, which sparked new protests, as reported by The Guardian.
Pressure from Washington to halt the investigation
According to the New York Times and NBC News, FBI supervisor Tracee Mergen resigned after the leadership in Washington allegedly asked her to drop the investigation concerning ICE agent Jonathan Ross.
Ross fatally shot Renee Good on January 7, as she was attempting to drive away from a confrontation with ICE agents.
The FBI declined to comment on Mergen's resignation, citing the institution's policy of not making statements regarding personnel matters. In the FBI structure, a supervisor is a special agent in a leadership position who coordinates investigations and operational teams and reports directly to the central leadership of the institution.
A new fatal case reignites protests in Minneapolis
The news of the FBI supervisor's resignation emerged shortly before federal ICE agents fatally shot Alex Pretti on Saturday, also in Minneapolis. Both Pretti and Good were 37 years old and American citizens.
Pretti's killing has sparked increasingly widespread protests, putting the city in a tense situation where protesters demand accountability from federal agents, state and local authorities, and the administration led by Donald Trump.
Mergen's resignation comes at a time when the Department of Justice of the Trump administration announced that it sees no reason to open a civil rights investigation into the killing of Renee Good.
"Currently, there is no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation," said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in a statement.
The Trump administration maintains that the ICE agent acted in self-defense, arguing that Good obstructed federal operations with her vehicle and put the agent in danger.
Cover-up accusations
Federal authorities refused to cooperate with the local investigation, leading to accusations from some Democratic officials that the federal government is attempting to cover up the case.
A representative from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigations stated that ICE "reluctantly withdrew" from the investigation. Meanwhile, six federal prosecutors resigned after being asked to initiate an investigation against Renee Good's wife (widow), who was present at the scene during the fatal confrontation.
Connections to a sensitive case in Trump's circle
Over the weekend, information surfaced that Tracee Mergen had previously testified against Tom Barrack, a close associate and financier of Donald Trump, who chaired the committee organizing his first inauguration ceremony.
Mergen was a witness in a 2022 trial where Barrack was accused of undisclosed ties with officials from the United Arab Emirates. Although prosecutors claimed he acted as an agent of a foreign state and made false statements, Barrack denied the allegations and was subsequently acquitted on all charges by a jury.
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