(Jewish Voice News) Former prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys are raising alarms over the Trump administration’s decision to bar state and local investigators from participating in the federal probe into the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis, a move they describe as highly unusual.

According to Axios, the controversy comes as political leaders from both parties have rushed to publicly judge whether the killing of Good, 37, was justified. Legal analysts warn that those early conclusions—combined with federal authorities tightly controlling access to evidence—could make it difficult for the public to accept the outcome of the investigation.

“This is what a cover-up looks like,” Dan Gelber, a former federal prosecutor and current mayor of Miami Beach, told Axios. Eric Nelson, a criminal defense attorney who previously represented former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, said the approach risks eroding confidence in government institutions. “It’s shocking to me that this is the route and the path that it’s taking,” Nelson said, adding that it undermines public trust.

As Axios reported, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office’s concern is not with the FBI leading its own investigation, but with the lack of cooperation and evidence sharing with local prosecutors. She said the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been blocked from accessing the crime scene, physical evidence, and witness interviews.

Without access to that material, Moriarty said her office cannot independently determine whether state charges are appropriate. While it is common for the FBI to limit information sharing during federal investigations, she said local involvement is essential to transparency, particularly since her office has jurisdiction to bring charges under Minnesota law.

“Our goal must be to ensure that a thorough investigation is completed at the local level, that our community can have transparency,” Moriarty said, according to Axios.

The Justice Department has defended its decision by pointing to remarks from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who publicly dismissed claims that the shooting was an act of self-defense. A Justice Department official told Axios that those comments indicated local officials had no intention of pursuing a good-faith investigation.

President Trump echoed that view, saying he would not share evidence with what he described as “crooked officials.” Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Vice President JD Vance have all publicly defended the ICE officer involved in the shooting, Axios reported.

Vance argued at a White House briefing that the case falls squarely under federal jurisdiction. “You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action: that’s a federal issue,” he said, adding that the agent was protected by immunity while performing his duties.

Still, legal experts interviewed by Axios said excluding state authorities from a homicide investigation is rare. Gelber said he had never seen a case where the federal government refused to work with state officials investigating a killing within their own jurisdiction. He also compared the Minneapolis shooting to past cases in which officers violated department policies on using firearms against motorists—policies similar to those outlined by the Department of Homeland Security.

Former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger told Twin Cities radio host Chad Hartman that the decision to leave the investigation solely in federal hands raises questions about fairness. He noted that the FBI reports to federal leadership that has already expressed views on the shooting, making it harder to conduct a broad inquiry that goes beyond self-defense claims.

The Justice Department declined to address specific criticisms on the record but told Axios that the investigation would be thorough and fair. A senior official reiterated that local officials’ public statements made cooperation untenable.

The dispute is unfolding amid broader tensions over immigration enforcement in Minnesota. As Axios reported, state and local leaders had previously urged the Trump administration not to surge immigration agents into Minneapolis, warning that increased enforcement could spark violence. Mayor Frey and Gov. Tim Walz renewed calls to withdraw federal agents after the shooting, but Noem said the agents would remain. Federal officials later announced an expanded immigration fraud investigation in the state.

Experts say the credibility of the investigation itself may be as consequential as its conclusions. “If the American public doesn’t believe in the investigation that comes out of this,” police use-of-force expert Geoff Alpert told Axios, “we’re in even more trouble than we were before this shooting.”