Prosecutors in DOJ's Civil Rights Division will not investigate Minneapolis ICE shooting, sources say - CBS News
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By Sarah N. Lynch Sarah N. Lynch Sarah N. Lynch is the senior Justice Department reporter for CBS News in Washington. Read Full BioSarah N. Lynch
January 9, 2026 / 8:03 PM EST / CBS News
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Prosecutors in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division were told they will not play a role in the ongoing investigation into a fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by a federal immigration officer, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Leadership in the Civil Rights Division, overseen by Harmeet Dhillon, informed staff in the division's criminal section that there would not be an investigation, two sources said. Normally, after a high-profile incident involving a fatal shooting by an officer, attorneys from the criminal section fly out to the scene. Multiple career prosecutors offered to do so in this case, but they were told not to do so, one of the sources added.
While investigations into the excessive use of force can be pursued solely by a U.S. Attorney's office without direct involvement from the Civil Rights Division, it is customary for the division's federal prosecutors to take the lead on high-profile investigations like the one in Minnesota.
The decision also raises questions about how far the FBI's investigation into the shooting will go.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
On Thursday, the Justice Department announced that the FBI was leading the investigation into the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Video footage shows the officer, identified in court records from a prior incident as Jonathan Ross, fired three rounds at the car as Good started to drive away.
The video also appeared to depict the officers did not take immediate steps to ensure that Good received emergency medical care after the shooting took place. A separate video from the scene showed officers stopping a man who claimed to be a doctor from moving toward Good.
The killing has sparked protests nationwide, including in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has argued that Ross was acting in self-defense, and claimed that Good was trying to use her car as a weapon in an act of "domestic terrorism."
That description sparked immediate backlash from state and city officials, with the mayor of Minneapolis labeling the self-defense claims as "bulls***."
On Friday, Trump administration officials shared another cellphone video of the incident that sources say was recorded by the ICE officer. The White House argues this video shows Ross was hit by Good's car.
The Justice Department has stopped short of claiming Ross was acting in self-defense.
But in a statement to CBS News this week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the use of deadly force by law enforcement officials can sometimes be justified.
"Federal agents risk their lives each day to safeguard our communities. They must make decisions, under dynamic and chaotic circumstances, in less time than it took to read this sentence," Blanche said.
"The law does not require police to gamble with their lives in the face of a serious threat of harm. Rather, they may use deadly force when they face an immediate threat of significant physical harm," he added.
The criminal section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division specializes in investigating and prosecuting constitutional violations by law enforcement officers.
Some of the most common investigations involve excessive use of force, but can also include other things such as sexual misconduct, false arrests or deliberate indifference to serious medical needs.
One of the most famous civil rights prosecutions by the section in recent years took place in Minneapolis, after former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in May 2020.
Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving, while acting under color of law, Floyd's constitutional rights, as well as the rights of a 14-year-old boy.
Since President Trump took office last year, the Civil Rights Division has scaled back its work on excessive force prosecutions, according to legal experts.
Last year, it sought to downplay the conviction of a former Louisville police officer who was convicted of violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights and asked a federal judge to sentence him to serve just one day in prison.
The judge ultimately sentenced him to serve 33 months.
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Nothing to see there. Especially if you refuse to even look.
Why would the civil rights division be involved?
Leadership in the Civil Rights Division, overseen by Harmeet Dhillon, informed staff in the division's criminal section that there would not be an investigation, two sources said. Normally, after a high-profile incident involving a fatal shooting by an officer, attorneys from the criminal section fly out to the scene. Multiple career prosecutors offered to do so in this case, but they were told not to do so, one of the sources added.
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I'm guessin because it should be a Police Misconduct case, and I'm pretty damn sure her wife and kids will be suing ICE etc. What did Ashley Babbitt's' family get, a few million
It seems like that would be the case. I'll be interested to see if anybody looks into the idea of how well these people are being trained, and does "misconduct" include putting people in the field without the training or experience to handle these situations. (I don't know anything about the training level of this particular guy, btw)
Wouldn't you?
I have no idea. That whole situation surrounding Jan 6 is so ridiculous.
However I do find this an interesting idea, purely from an academic perspective. If we take one example from each side here.... we'll use Babbitt from the right and Heather Heyer from the left.... we have women killed during active participation in a riot.
You may or may not realize, but if you have a life insurance policy, there is almost surely a clause in there that voids the policy if you are killed while participating in civil unrest, whether a riot has been officially declared or not.
The idea there is that you are supposed to take reasonable precautions to protect your life and participating in a riot is something reasonable people should know better than to do. It is the equivalent of negligence with your own life.
Notice... participation in civil unrest increases your chance of death to enough of a statistically significant degree that actuaries have created a loophole to protect themselves from that level of dumbassery.
That never stops political partisans from hotly defending whichever of those women aligns with their tribe. "She didn't deserve that!!" Well, you don't deserve to be eaten by a crocodile, but if you go swimming in the Nile you can't really claim surprise when probability bites you in the ass.
The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution reads in part:
Additionally, the Fourth Amendment reads in part
So, people have a civil right to live, and the government cannot take life without due process. Here, a government agent has taken someone’s life. Additionally, trying to restrain her or stop her by shooting her without a good reason violates her right to be free from unreasonable seizure. That’s why the civil rights division has a role.
The person that shot and killed Ashley Babbit was a Capital police officer.
What due process did she receive before being killed? Were her civil rights violated?
Disclaimer...I don't think she should have been where she was.
Is the civil rights division involved for every LEO killing?
My (admittedly limited) understanding is that there needs to be some indication of intentional misconduct and that judgment errors, fear, or other mistakes are not considered civil rights violations.
I'm not suggesting the LEO acted correctly or that he was justified, but it also seems like his actions were reactionary and might not rise to the level of a civil rights violation.
Let’s try to stay on topic. I will answer briefly, though.
That case was investigated by the DOJ Civil Rights Division. Whether we agree with their conclusions is beside the point for this seed. What matters is that it was, at least, investigated.
Department of Justice Closes Investigation into the Death of Ashli Babbitt
As to what, specifically, they were investigating, that is detailed here:
I don’t believe so. As with just about every other kind of case, complaints commonly drive investigation. That is, sometimes prosecuting agencies (be they federal or state) will investigate something on their own initiative, but also complaints are brought, either officially or unofficially. Obviously, there is a lot of public controversy in this case, so it’s kind of a no-brainer that there would be an investigation.
Which is why you investigate.
More than likely the "investigation" was conducted by the Biden administration, not exactly the bastion of truth telling, as we found out for four straight years.
Two congressional House committees both couldn't find anything on Biden, but of course you're going to regurgitate the gaslighting.
BARELY!
The New York Times reported on January 15th, 2021 , that DOJ was opening an investigation into the shooting. That was still during the Trump administration.
If you follow my initial link, you’ll see DOJ issued their report on April 14, 2021. The decision to investigate, and the resulting investigation were therefore going to have been handled by career attorneys at DOJ who would have been in place long before Biden took office.
The point, again, is that they had an investigation. Here, the Trump DOJ is deliberately ordering its attorneys in the Civil Rights Division not to investigate something they normally would.
Sure the Trump admin "opened" the investigation, which probably was no more than grabbing a random DOJ laptop, opening a new file and naming it Ashley Babbit.
They had 4 days of "investigating where the Biden had 4 months.
Yes, they had an "investigation" and I stand corrected. I am sure the Biden admin was VERY up front with their investigation s/
I dont know what they use the Civil Rights division for nowadays. Probably protecting the rights of Q Anon.
I think it's disgusting that none of those ICE agents went to render aid after her car stopped. Isn't that what LE is supposed to do?
It’s what human beings are supposed to do.
good point
these guys aren't human....they're monsters
The LEO that murdered her said, and I quote..."Fucking bitch".
I really want karma to be real
Shocking but not at all surprising.
They are investigating. They’re combing through the victim’s social media to find any scrap of data to justify that she was a violent, blood thirsty activist.
Well she was a lesbian! /s
A capitol offense in some countries.
Which begs the question...
Why do so many in the LGBTQ, etc, etc, etc community support countries that would kill them if they ever went there?
yes, it is and I'm glad I don't live in one of those countries....yet
Why does anything here beg that question? Maybe ask your irrelevant questions in places where they are relevant.
So you don't know how to answer coherently.....
It’s a stupid question for this context, so ask it in one of those moronic articles seeded by your clan members.
it's a form of trolling
Minnesota, apparently...