FBI agent Tracee Mergen resigned after an attempt to investigate the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officer involved in the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this month, The New York Times reports.
Her reported resignation was met online Friday night with some praise, a few jabs and further scrutiny surrounding the investigation.
Newsweek reached out to the FBI for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The reported resignation comes amid growing turmoil surrounding the federal response to the shooting and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) approach to civil rights investigations in law enforcement use-of-force cases.
At least six federal prosecutors in Minnesota also resigned earlier this month amid disputes over whether to investigate the shooting and regarding a push to investigate the victim’s widow, according to the Times.
What To Know
Mergen, a supervisor, had initially opened a civil rights inquiry into ICE officer Jonathan Ross after the January 7 shooting in which Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother, was fatally shot in her vehicle.
CNN, citing two sources, reported that after Mergen opened a civil rights investigation, she was instructed to reclassify it as an assault-on-officer case and that the FBI blocked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from participating.
The Times reports that the DOJ decided to launch an investigation into Good and her partner in efforts to discover potential activist ties. Separately, the department is investigating Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, also a Democrat, in a push to determine if they interfered with federal immigration actions after the deadly shooting of Good.
Reacting to Mergen’s reported resignation, numerous people took to social media to voice their thoughts.
What People Are Saying
California Democratic Congressman Sam Liccardo, on X Friday: “Gratitude to this FBI agent for her courage and her commitment to her convictions.”
Alex Tabarrok, economics professor at George Mason University, on X Friday: “I appreciate the integrity, but every principled resignation is an adverse selection.”
Jeremy Redfern, deputy chief of staff to Florida’s Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier, on X Friday: “This is a win for the American people, actually.”
X user Adam Cochran, with over 275,000 followers, said: “Wow!! The FBI officer who was investigating Renee Good’s shooting was *FORCED* to classify it as ‘an assault on an officer’ case, against their judgement. The Agent has resigned in protest! The FBI leadership are corrupt partisan hacks, and the facts clearly show MURDER!”
Attorney Richard W. Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer during George W. Bush’s administration, on X Friday: “Investigate what really happened, get fired. That’s the way @TheJusticeDept works these days.”
Author Patrick Tomlinson, on X Friday: “They are covering up the public execution of a 37 yr old mother and Air Force widow in broad daylight. Jonathan Ross needs to face a jury for the murder he committed.”
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether federal authorities would revisit a civil rights investigation into the deadly shooting.
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