I don't know what he did, but he didn't deserve to be executed in the street.
In Biddeford, Maine, a Monday morning enforcement operation ended in the death of a 26-year-old Colombian man who was not the person ICE agents had been seeking — a fact confirmed by the Secretary of Homeland Security himself, hours after the shooting. Joan Sebastian Guerrero was authorized to work in the United States, had a young daughter, and left behind a community now grappling with grief and unanswered questions. His death — the second fatal ICE shooting in a week — arrives at a moment when the nation is being asked to weigh the costs of enforcement carried out without body cameras, without certainty, and without the accountability that democratic governance demands.
- ICE agents in Maine shot and killed a man they were not looking for, a fact the Homeland Security Secretary initially got wrong before correcting himself hours later.
- The deceased — a working, documented resident with a wife and toddler daughter — was pulled from a car and shot four times through the windshield, with no body camera footage to explain why.
- Witnesses described chaos: plainclothes officers abandoning vehicles, a white car being corralled, and a neighborhood left wondering whether what they witnessed was law enforcement or an execution.
- This is the second deadly ICE shooting in a week, following a similar incident in Houston where officers in unmarked vehicles also lacked cameras — a pattern lawmakers are now demanding answers about.
- Federal, state, and congressional investigations have been launched, but the family, the community, and Maine's congressional delegation are pressing for transparency that official statements have not yet provided.
On a Monday morning in Biddeford, Maine, an ICE agent fired into a car and killed a man who was not the person they were looking for. Joan Sebastian Guerrero, 26, a Colombian national authorized to work in the United States, died from his injuries during what DHS described as a targeted surveillance operation. He was married, had a young daughter of two or three years old, and was a known member of the local immigrant community.
The full weight of the error emerged that afternoon, when Sen. Angus King spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Mullin initially told King the deceased was the intended target — then called back three hours later to correct himself. King went public, stating plainly that ICE had killed the wrong man. Rep. Chellie Pingree echoed the concern, calling the incident deeply disturbing and demanding federal transparency.
The justification offered by DHS — that the officer fired because the man attempted to flee and posed a public safety threat — was met with skepticism. King noted that Mullin had first used the word 'weaponized' to describe the vehicle, language later softened in official statements. Security footage showed a white car circling slowly before stopping, and a photo revealed four bullet holes in the driver's-side windshield. None of the agents involved wore body cameras.
Neighbors described confusion and alarm. One resident initially mistook the gunshots for a car backfiring. A nearby business owner believed the car was still rolling because the driver had already been shot. 'I don't know what he did,' one witness said, 'but he didn't deserve to be executed in the street.'
The Biddeford shooting was the second fatal ICE use of force in a week, following the death of a Houston construction worker shot through a van window by agents in unmarked vehicles — also without body cameras. Sen. Susan Collins confirmed the DHS inspector general would lead the Maine investigation, with FBI assistance and state attorney general involvement. King made clear he would press for a thorough and transparent accounting of what happened and why.
On a Monday morning in Biddeford, Maine, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fired into a car and killed a man who was not the person they were looking for. The shooting happened around 7 a.m. when ICE officers attempted to stop a vehicle during what the Department of Homeland Security described as targeted surveillance on an address. The man in the car, later identified as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national, died from his injuries. By that afternoon, the story had shifted in a way that would trigger demands for answers from Maine's congressional delegation.
Sen. Angus King learned the troubling detail during a conversation with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Initially, Mullin told the senator that the deceased man was the intended target of a warrant. Three hours later, Mullin called back with a correction: the man actually was not the person ICE had been seeking. King went public with this information on CNN, saying plainly that "the person that was killed was not the person that they were seeking." Rep. Chellie Pingree, also of Maine, confirmed she had heard from reliable sources that ICE had shot the wrong person, though DHS had not officially acknowledged this fact. She called the incident "very disturbing" and demanded more transparency from federal authorities.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain contested. DHS said the officer fired because he feared for public safety after the man "attempted to flee the scene." But King pressed back, noting that Mullin had initially told him the man had "weaponized" his vehicle—language DHS later softened in its official statement. Security camera footage obtained by CBS News showed a white car circling slowly before stopping, then at least two people approaching and pulling someone from the driver's seat. A photo revealed four bullet holes in the windshield on the driver's side. King told reporters: "The question is, what did he do with his vehicle? Were officers threatened? Were the threats rising to the level that justified deadly force?" He emphasized that he had seen no evidence yet that the officer or the public faced genuine danger. The agents involved in the shooting were not wearing body cameras.
The man killed was 26 years old, Colombian, and authorized to work in the United States with a Social Security number. He was married and had a young daughter, approximately two or three years old. A neighbor, Nelson Elias, confirmed these details to reporters. The Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition identified him as one of their community members. Project Relief Maine, another advocacy group, released a statement saying they were in contact with the family and committed to supporting them "during this unimaginable time." A community vigil was scheduled for that evening.
Witnesses described confusion and alarm. Em Akerley, who lived near the intersection of Pool and Hill streets where the shooting occurred, initially thought she heard a car backfiring. When the sound continued, she went to her window and saw a small white car being "corralled by two men" while plainclothes officers in vests ran down the street, abandoning their vehicles. "I don't know what he did, but he didn't deserve to be executed in the street," she said. Cory Poulin, who owns a pawn shop and laundromat across the street, said he believed the vehicle was rolling because the driver had already been shot. He called it a community tragedy and expressed concern about the message it sent to immigrants in the area.
The shooting was the second deadly use of force by ICE officers in a week. The previous incident occurred in Houston, where ICE officers in unmarked vehicles followed a construction worker named Lorenzo Salgado Araujo after he picked up coworkers. Security camera footage showed officers firing through a van window. An attorney for men in the van said an ICE agent fired directly in front of one man's face, striking Araujo on the side. Like the Maine shooting, those officers were not wearing body cameras and had no dashboard cameras in their vehicles. The FBI is investigating that incident.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general would lead the investigation into the Biddeford shooting, with FBI assistance. The state attorney general's office is also investigating. According to initial statements collected by investigators, the man "attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of" an ICE officer. The officer who fired will be placed on leave. Gov. Janet Mills said she was briefed on the incident and acknowledged that "situations like these are alarming and frightening." King made clear he intended to press for answers. "I certainly intend to stay after it to do everything I can to be sure the investigation is as transparent and thorough as possible," he told reporters.
Citas Notables
The person that was killed was not the person that they were seeking.— Sen. Angus King, citing information from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin
I certainly intend to stay after it to do everything I can to be sure the investigation is as transparent and thorough as possible.— Sen. Angus King
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that this man wasn't the person they were looking for?
Because it raises the fundamental question of whether the force used was justified at all. If you're shooting at someone who isn't even on your warrant, the entire legal and moral foundation for using deadly force collapses.
But couldn't the officer have genuinely feared for their safety in the moment?
That's what the investigation is supposed to determine. But King is pointing out that we don't have evidence of that yet—no body camera footage, no clear threat captured on video. The car was circling slowly before it stopped. The question is whether the threat was real or perceived.
What does it mean that this is the second ICE shooting in a week?
It suggests a pattern. Two separate incidents, two sets of officers without body cameras, two situations where the facts are contested. It raises questions about training, about rules of engagement, about whether ICE is equipped to make split-second decisions about deadly force.
The man had a Social Security number and was authorized to work. Why mention that?
Because it complicates the narrative. He wasn't hiding in the shadows. He was integrated into the community, working legally, raising a daughter. The shooting wasn't some abstract enforcement action—it killed someone with roots, with family, with a place in the community.
What happens next?
Multiple investigations are underway. But the real question is whether they'll be transparent enough to satisfy the lawmakers and the community demanding answers. King is making clear he won't accept a closed-door process. The family and advocacy groups are watching closely.