ICE Officer Kills 26-Year-Old Colombian Man in Maine Traffic Stop — Officials Concede He Wasn't the Target
Federal authorities acknowledge the man shot dead in the coastal town of Biddeford was not the person immigration agents had come to arrest, in what has become ICE's second fatal shooting in a week.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a 26-year-old motorist on Monday in Biddeford, Maine, a coastal town about 15 miles south of Portland, in a killing that authorities now concede was a case of mistaken identity. The man, a Colombian national identified by immigration advocates by the surname Guerrero, was not the person ICE agents had set out to detain, officials acknowledged Monday.
According to the account provided by federal authorities, ICE had been surveilling an address in connection with a man who carried a final order of removal. When agents attempted to stop a vehicle leaving that address, the car tried to flee the scene and an officer discharged his weapon, striking the driver. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the officer fired while "fearing for public safety." Advocates said Guerrero was authorized to work in the United States and had a Social Security number.
The killing marks the second time in less than a week that ICE has used deadly force, and by several tallies the ninth death recorded since President Donald Trump launched his sweeping immigration crackdown. Days earlier, an ICE officer fatally shot a construction worker in Houston who, according to the agency's own evolving account, was also not the intended target of the operation.
The shooting drew swift condemnation in Maine and beyond. Maine Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said she had spoken directly with Homeland Security Secretary Mullin to press for changes to how agents conduct vehicle stops, warning that routine traffic encounters were escalating into lethal violence. Local residents in Biddeford gathered near the intersection where the shooting occurred, and neighbors' doorbell and security cameras captured portions of the aftermath, footage that circulated widely and intensified public scrutiny of the operation.
Guerrero's death has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over the aggressive tactics deployed during the administration's deportation campaign. Immigrant-rights groups argue that a pattern of agents opening fire on fleeing vehicles — often in dense residential neighborhoods — has made deadly mistakes almost inevitable. The agency has repeatedly declined to release the names of the officers involved or full body-camera footage, citing ongoing investigations and a policy against discussing law-enforcement tactics.
For now, state and federal investigators are examining the sequence of events that left a young father dead on a Maine street. Authorities have not said whether the officer who fired will face administrative leave or criminal review, and the man ICE originally sought remains, according to officials, still at large.
Originally reported by ABC News.