Daijiworld Media Network - Biddeford

Biddeford, Jul 14: A 26-year-old Colombian national was shot dead by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during an attempted traffic stop in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday, with officials later confirming that the victim was not the individual named in the arrest warrant that prompted the operation.

US Senator Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin informed him that the man killed was not the target of the federal warrant, contrary to an earlier briefing indicating the victim had been subject to a final deportation order.

"The victim of today's federal law enforcement shooting was not the target of the warrant," King's spokesperson Matthew Felling said, adding that the senator continued to call for a "full and transparent investigation".

The victim has not yet been publicly identified by US authorities. However, immigrant advocacy organisations Presente! and the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition said he was a Colombian citizen authorised to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number.

The Colombian Embassy in Washington said it was working with US authorities to confirm the victim's identity and nationality.

In a statement issued several hours after the incident, ICE said officers had been conducting surveillance at the last known address of an undocumented immigrant with a final removal order.

According to the agency, an individual left the residence in a vehicle, prompting officers to initiate a traffic stop.

"The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon," the statement said.

ICE did not clarify whether the deceased was the subject of the surveillance operation or whether any other occupants were inside the vehicle.

Eyewitness Daniel Boucher, who lives near the scene, said he heard gunshots before seeing a large white vehicle ram a smaller car.

He claimed he heard the victim say, "I tried to stop," before officers pulled him from the vehicle with severe head injuries.

Neighbour Nelson Elias identified the victim as a DoorDash delivery driver whom he knew through a local restaurant where Elias worked.

"I heard six shots. I saw his wife and daughter crying on the street," Elias said.

Another resident, Cecelia Humiston, said a young girl was seen in tears near the crime scene while officers attempted to keep her behind police tape.

Governor Janet Mills confirmed she had been briefed on the shooting and said Maine State Police were assisting local and federal authorities.

The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General has launched an investigation into the incident, while the FBI is also involved, according to officials.

The ICE spokesperson confirmed that the shooting would undergo a mandatory investigation following the discharge of a firearm by federal officers.

Maine Attorney General's office has also opened a separate investigation.

Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain described himself as "shaken" by the incident and said the victim's family and the community deserved clear answers about what had happened.

Dozens of protesters gathered later in the day in Biddeford, carrying placards condemning ICE's actions and calling for accountability.

The shooting comes less than a week after ICE officers fatally shot another man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, during an enforcement operation in Houston, Texas.

Recent ICE enforcement operations have intensified across the United States. According to reports, the agency arrested more than 1,300 people on Saturday and over 1,100 on Sunday, following directives from the Department of Homeland Security and White House officials to significantly increase daily immigration arrests.

The latest shooting also drew strong political reactions, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries describing the killing as one carried out "in cold blood" and calling for an end to what he termed violent immigration enforcement.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also demanded "a complete, independent and transparent investigation" into the incident.