USA13 July, 20262 min read
ICE Officer Kills Colombian Motorist After Biddeford Vehicle Attack, Angus King Says
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An ICE officer fatally shot a motorist in Biddeford, Maine. The motorist was a 26-year-old Colombian.
Biddeford shooting and context
A federal immigration officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement fatally shot a motorist in Biddeford, Maine on Monday, after advocates identified the man as a 26-year-old native of Colombia.
U.S. Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the officer opened fire after the man tried to use his vehicle as a weapon against ICE agents in Biddeford.
King said Mullin told him the officers were in Biddeford to serve an arrest warrant, but that it was for not for the person who was shot, and King said Mullin later gave him new information.
The Maine attorney general’s office said initial statements suggest the motorist was trying to flee in the direction of an officer with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations directorate, and it said the officer who opened fire will be placed on leave.
Investigation questions and witnesses
King said the agents involved in the shooting weren’t wearing body cameras, which he said concerned him, and he pressed for a “full, transparent and open investigation of this matter.” Chellie Pingree said in a social media video that she was told "the person who was shot by the ICE officer was not the person they had an order to pick up."
Daniel Boucher, who said he heard a “pop, pop, pop” sound from his third-floor window, told the AP he saw a small car “turned 90 degrees to the curb” with an SUV behind it. Boucher said he “clearly heard the victim say, ‘I tried to stop’” and said he saw an ICE officer bring a medical bag before an ambulance and fire truck arrived.
Protests, identity, and next steps
Immigrant rights groups identified the man killed as a 26-year-old Colombian and said he was authorized to work in the U.S., with the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition identifying him as having been issued a Social Security number.
“The Colombian Embassy said it is in contact with U.S. authorities and ‘working to formally confirm the individual’s identity and nationality.’”
The Colombian Embassy told the AP it is in contact with U.S. authorities and “working to formally confirm the individual’s identity and nationality,” while Project Relief Maine said in a statement on social media that the person who was killed was one of their community members.
Dozens of demonstrators critical of ICE and President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown gathered in Biddeford within hours of the shooting, and Amy Goodman arrived with a sign that said “Stop Killing Us.”
King said the question was “what did he do with his vehicle?” and asked whether “Were officers threatened? Were the threats rising to the level that justified deadly force?” as the investigation proceeds with the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI.