DHS breaks hours of silence on deadly ICE shooting in Maine, saying officer was ‘fearing for public safety’
DHS Responds After ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Colombian Man in Maine
DHS breaks hours of silence on deadly – The Department of Homeland Security has finally broken its silence regarding a deadly shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Maine. According to an official statement released nearly twelve hours after the incident, the federal agent discharged his weapon while “fearing for public safety” as the victim “attempted to flee the scene.” The man who was fatally shot has now been identified as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a twenty-six-year-old Colombian national.
Neighbor Provides Detailed Account of Morning Shooting
Nelson Elias, a neighbor who has known Guerrero since 2024, was awakened by loud commotion outside his home in Biddeford, Maine. He described hearing screams that roused him from sleep, followed by officers instructing someone to park their vehicle. “Around 7 a.m. I heard screams, they woke me up,” Elias explained. “I heard them (officers) telling him to park the car. It was really loud. Then all of a sudden they shot like 6 times, and it was just something hard to hear.”
“I checked on my family first then I went outside. He was there on the ground. His wife was there screaming and crying next to him. His daughter was there too.”
Elias noted that Guerrero was traveling to his workplace when the confrontation occurred. The young man worked as a delivery driver and resided with his partner and their three-year-old daughter. “He was a good person. He was quiet and reserved. He worked hard to provide for his wife and a 3-year-old daughter,” Elias shared with CNN. The neighbor added that the community is now requesting justice for the grieving family.
Conflicting Reports on Warrant Status
Questions have emerged regarding whether Guerrero was the intended subject of the enforcement action. Sen. Angus King’s office stated that Guerrero was “NOT the target of the warrant” after the senator held another conversation with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. However, King had previously indicated, citing an earlier discussion with Mullin, that the Colombian man was indeed the warrant’s target.
Second Deadly ICE Incident in Less Than a Week
This Maine shooting marks the second fatal encounter between federal agents and immigrants in the United States within seven days. Just days prior, an ICE agent shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant, during a routine traffic stop in Texas. The two incidents, separated by approximately two thousand miles, have sparked renewed calls for accountability across the nation.
The tragedy has also resonated in Minneapolis, where residents have been demanding answers following the January shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel. Mayor Liam LaFountain of Biddeford expressed his sorrow for those affected. “I am mourning for the individuals impacted, for the family that lost a father, lost a partner, and a community member as well,” he told CNN affiliate WGME.
Community Mourns and Demands Action
Flowers and candles have appeared on the sidewalk near where Guerrero was shot. One memorial sign declares, “Immigrants make Biddeford great.” Mary Hayes, a nearby resident, witnessed the heartbreaking aftermath. “I watched a wife fall to her knees looking at her husband’s dead body on the ground,” Hayes told The Associated Press. She held a cardboard placard reading “No ICE Stop ICE” and added, “I watched a little girl crying with a little pink backpack on because she’s never going to see her father again.”
The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition reported that Guerrero was authorized to work in the United States and possessed a social security number. Federal authorities have not yet verified these claims. Meanwhile, the Office of the Maine Attorney General has delayed officially naming the victim until positive identification is complete and family members have been notified.
“He was a good person. He was quiet and reserved. He worked hard to provide for his wife and a 3-year-old daughter.”
Surveillance video acquired by The Associated Press appears to capture the vehicle carrying the twenty-six-year-old Colombian man moments before he was fatally shot by federal agents. CNN’s Mark Morales, Elise Hammond, and Sarah Boxer contributed to this report.
