Ex-prosecutor breaks down DOJ claim as department says ICE shooting will not be probed

A former prosecutor has broken down why the Department of Justice will not be investigating the shooting of Renee Good.

Joyce Vance pulled apart the statement from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who confirmed the department would not be investigating the shooting of Good. The 37-year-old mother was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month. Vance believes the investigation must go ahead as there are possibilities that cannot be ruled out without a probe. Blanche said, “No, we are not investigating."

Writing in her Substack, Vance explained, "Officer-involved shootings are virtually always investigated, most of them by state agencies, which is where the majority of these incidents occur. But this case isn’t just a 'shooting'; it’s a death, and possibly a homicide—a possibility that can’t be ruled out without investigation."

"There is also video evidence that a doctor who tried to treat Good, who was still alive when paramedics arrived 15 or more minutes later, was refused, which could lead to additional charges. This is the kind of case that demands a thorough, objective investigation."

Vance added, "Beyond that, Blanche’s claim that there are too many shootings every year to investigate—he says over 1,000—is as ludicrous as it is wrong. His argument is essentially that cops are shooting too many people to be bothered to investigate."

"If anything, high numbers would make investigation even more essential. In a moment where it would have shown good faith to conduct an investigation, the administration acted like it had something to hide, instead."

Vance, the ex-US attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, had previously criticized the Trump administration as having much to hide at the start of 2026.

She wrote at the time, "Donald Trump has a lot to try to hide from. It could be all of the above, and it’s all closing in on him this week. In the past, he has always been able to delay or distract just long enough for the public to forget. But this week, the past seems to be catching up with the lame duck president."

The recent strike on Venezuela has been criticised by Vance as a "distraction" from the growing problems the Trump admin is now facing. She wrote, "That may be at least a partial explanation for Trump’s strike on Venezuela—distract, distract, distract. It’s a better explanation than Trump as a committed warrior against narcoterrorism."