A 26-year-old Colombian man was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday morning. The shooting occurred as federal agents were attempting to execute a warrant, according to authorities. The incident has drawn renewed attention to ICE's use of force and has been compared to a previous fatal shooting involving an ICE agent.
Joan Sebastian Guerrero, who was authorized to work in the U.S. and had a Social Security number, was killed when an agent discharged a weapon as Guerrero's vehicle attempted to flee, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement. Agents had been surveilling an address for an individual with a final order of removal, and when ICE attempted to stop a vehicle believed to be connected to that address, the driver attempted to flee. DHS stated the agent fired out of concern for public safety.
However, U.S. Senator Angus King's office initially stated that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin had told the senator that Guerrero himself was the subject of an order to leave the country. Mullin later clarified this information was incorrect. King's office also said Mullin had indicated Guerrero "weaponized" his vehicle against the ICE agent, though no body-camera footage of the incident exists.
"What I said to the Secretary was, we want a full, transparent and open investigation of this matter," King stated. "And one of the problems is apparently there are no cameras. Body cameras were not on the agents. So we have no video evidence of what occurred in this case."
The Maine attorney general’s office is investigating the shooting. Initial findings suggest the motorist was attempting to flee in the direction of the agent. The agent involved has been placed on leave and has not been identified.
Months before his death, Guerrero had reportedly shared a post criticizing an online fundraiser for Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis on January 7. Ross fired three shots at Good, a mother of three, as she drove her car. Footage captured the incident, and Good died at the scene. Ross was placed on leave following the incident but later returned to his duties as an ICE agent. Guerrero's online comment stated, "Sadly here you get paid for killing a person."
Guerrero's death has prompted protests and condemnation. The Colombian Embassy in the U.S. has requested answers regarding his death. Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro described the shooting as "murder" on social media, stating that Guerrero was killed for being perceived as "an inferior being without rights."
"I expect from the Colombian foreign service in the US the fastest legal and human action so that the murderers pay for their homicide," Petro wrote. "I expect from President Donald Trump a message to Colombia about what happened."
Guerrero, 26, who was from Colombia, is remembered by his father, Omar Durán, as a hardworking family man who sought a better future in the U.S. for his wife and child. He reportedly worked as a DoorDash delivery driver. A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support his family.