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Biddeford ICE shooting
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a man in his car in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday during an enforcement operation, after the Department of Homeland Security said the man “attempted to flee the scene.”
“An FBI official places an evidence card where a man was reportedly killed in a shooting involving U”
The Washington Post reported that Maine’s attorney general is investigating the fatal shooting, saying initial reports indicated the officer shot the man when he attempted to flee in his vehicle during an enforcement operation.
CBS News said DHS alleged the man was in the country illegally and that “fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” after ICE tried to stop him at around 7 a.m. ET.
CBS News also reported that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Sen. Angus King later Monday that the man was not the intended target of an arrest warrant, reversing an earlier account King gave to reporters.
The AP said the incident was the second time in a week that ICE officers used deadly force in the U.S., and that advocates identified the victim as a 26-year-old native of Colombia.
Conflicting warrant claims
Sen. Angus King told reporters that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin used the term “weaponized” for the vehicle, and King said the officer opened fire after the man tried to use his vehicle as a weapon against ICE agents in Biddeford.
CBS News reported that King initially said the man was the target of a warrant based on his immigration status, but later Mullin told him the man was not the intended target of an arrest warrant.
The BBC said the Maine attorney general’s statement indicated the officer was conducting an enforcement operation related to a final order of removal when the subject attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot.
The BBC also reported that King said Mullin told him the man was not the target of a warrant, after earlier telling him the person who was shot dead was a target of an arrest warrant in an immigration operation.
In Biddeford, protesters gathered soon after the shooting, and NBC News reported that Sen. King said body cameras were not everywhere and “apparently not in Biddeford, Maine.”
Investigation and community fallout
Maine’s attorney general’s office said the officer who opened fire will be placed on leave, while the state attorney general’s office also said it is investigating the shooting based on initial statements collected by investigators.
“Man killed by immigration agent during operation in Maine, official says A man was killed by a US federal immigration agent in Maine as he "attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot", the state's attorney general has said”
CBS News reported that Sen. Susan Collins said Mullin told her the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general will take the lead on investigating the shooting, with help from the FBI, and that the state attorney general’s office is also investigating.
The AP said the FBI is leading the investigation and described witness Daniel Boucher hearing a “pop, pop, pop” sound and later saying he clearly heard the victim say, “I tried to stop.”
NBC News reported that Gov. Janet Mills said she was briefed on “the fatal shooting this morning involving Federal law enforcement,” and that state police were cooperating with local and federal officials.
Advocates and the Colombian Embassy said they were working to identify the victim and confirm nationality, while the AP reported that Mary Hayes said she watched a wife fall to her knees and a little girl cry with a little pink backpack because she would never see her father again.
