On a Monday morning in Biddeford, Maine, federal immigration agents fatally shot Joan Sebastian Guerrero while he was in his car. The incident occurred shortly after 7 a.m.
The agents fired five times. Currently, no video footage exists that shows the events leading up to the shooting or the actual moment of the killing. Several key questions remain unanswered, including whether multiple agents fired their weapons. However, recently obtained videos offer new insight into Mr. Guerrero’s encounter with the agents. These videos indicate that he was shot before his vehicle rolled into an intersection.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on Tuesday. They claimed that Mr. Guerrero, a Colombian national, was shot after he attempted to flee from federal immigration agents in his car. The department mentioned that an agent fired at him due to concerns for public safety. A separate communication sent to Congressional members stated that Mr. Guerrero had used his vehicle as a weapon against law enforcement.
Similar language has been used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in other recent incidents, asserting that motorists have weaponized their vehicles. However, video analysis and witness testimonies have sometimes contradicted these claims.
In a surveillance video obtained by The New York Times, shouting followed by five gunshots can be heard. Voices in the video say, “Move it, let’s go,” and “Back, Back!” just before the shots. Neither Mr. Guerrero nor the federal immigration agents are visible in this footage.