The US justice department is investigating two prominent Minnesota officials over alleged attempts to impede federal immigration agents, in an escalation of the Trump administration's clash with Democrats.
Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are facing an inquiry over statements they have made about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reports the BBC's US partner CBS.
It comes as fresh details emerged in the death of a Minneapolis woman shot last week by an ICE agent in the city, sparking nationwide protests.
Renee Good, 37, was found with at least three gunshot wounds and possibly a fourth to the head, according to official reports viewed by CBS.
Governor Walz responded on Friday to news of the inquiry against him by posting on X: Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.
The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
The governor has urged Minnesotans to protest peacefully, although he has previously been accused by the Trump administration of inflammatory rhetoric for describing ICE as a modern-day Gestapo. Frey has demanded that immigration agents get out of Minneapolis.
The Washington Post reports that the justice department has issued subpoenas to Walz and Frey.
The inquiry is focused on a federal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 372, which makes it a crime for two or more people to conspire to prevent federal officers from carrying out their official duties through force, intimidation or threats, a US official told CBS.
Protests continued in Minneapolis on Friday after new details emerged about the death of Good, and local officials appealed for calm on the streets over this public holiday weekend.
An incident report from the Minneapolis Fire Department said when they responded to the shooting scene last week, it appeared Good had been shot twice in the chest, once in her left forearm and a fourth wound, possibly from a gunshot, was seen on the left side of the patient's head.
Paramedics found Good unresponsive with an irregular pulse, and she was pronounced dead in the ambulance on the way to hospital, according to the report seen by CBS.
The Trump administration has said that Good was impeding federal law enforcement and tried to run the agent over. Local officials say Good was a legal observer who posed no danger.
Video of the incident shows ICE agents approaching a car, which is blocking traffic and parked in the middle of the street. An officer instructs her to get out of the car.
As Good turns her wheel apparently trying to drive away, her Honda Pilot SUV pulls forward with one of the agents standing near the front of the vehicle. He pulls his gun and fires.
Footage from the scene shows the agent walking off afterward.
But Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have told CBS the officer suffered internal bleeding to the torso following the incident. No further details have been disclosed.
The FBI is investigating the incident, although there is no federal civil rights inquiry into the agent who opened fire.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump blasted demonstrators and local leaders on Friday.
On Truth Social, he accused protesters of being highly paid professionals, adding that Walz and Frey had totally lost control.
Later, the Republican president told reporters at the White House that he did not plan to invoke the Insurrection Act and send in troops to quell unrest in Minnesota, after earlier this week suggesting he might do so.
If I needed it, I'd use it. I don't think there's any reason right now to use it, he said. It's very powerful, he added.
Thousands of ICE officers remain deployed in the state.
Democratic lawmakers travelled to the city and spent Friday condemning federal immigration operations in the state, accusing ICE of reckless and lawless actions.
Ilhan Omar, a congresswoman from Minnesota who has long feuded with Trump, claimed that ICE was trying to provoke chaos and fear.
Adriano Espaillat, a congressman from New York, said ICE had become a deadly weapon.
Washington congressman Pramila Jayapal said ICE agents should not be allowed to wear masks, or make arrests without warrants, and should be required to have body cameras and name tags.
The Democratic lawmakers also interviewed several residents who alleged they had been shackled and detained by ICE for hours until they could prove they were US citizens.
The BBC has contacted the DHS and ICE for comment.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told CNN on Friday that if there was reasonable suspicion of someone who is in the vicinity of a person being detained by a DHS operation, they might be asked to confirm their identity.
She rejected suggestions such tactics could be discriminatory, saying racial animus has no place in DHS.
