Who is accountable? ICE killing in Minnesota reignites Bay Area debate over police shootings of drivers

"It could describe the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman, Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis - an act that has already divided the nation, with critics denouncing it as an unlawful killing and President Donald Trump and his administration framing the encounter as "terrorism" by a woman who "weaponized her vehicle" against law enforcement."

"Yet to policing experts and civil-rights attorneys across the Bay Area and California, the scene bears eerie similarities to a series of local police shootings involving moving vehicles - including one that sent a Contra Costa County sheriff's deputy to prison. Others, while not resulting in criminal charges, still produced major civil settlements, such as BART's $6.75 million payout after video showed a woman was driving away when she was shot."

"On Thursday, a dispute emerged between Minnesota public safety leaders and the White House after state officials said they were unable to access evidence from the shooting and were told the FBI and U.S. Justice Department would not work with them, the Associated Press reported. Federal agents, including ICE officers, are generally subject to federal law and federal investigations, even when their actions occur inside a state."

The entire encounter lasted less than 30 seconds, showing an officer standing briefly in front of a vehicle then to its side while firing multiple fatal shots at the driver. Video captured the motorist going limp and the vehicle crashing down the street. The killing of 37-year-old Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis has divided opinion, with critics calling it unlawful and the administration calling it terrorism. Policing experts and civil-rights attorneys note similarities to local moving-vehicle shootings in the Bay Area, some producing prison sentences or multimillion-dollar settlements. A dispute arose over state access to evidence while federal agents typically fall under federal investigations, though states can sometimes pursue charges.

Read at The Mercury News