ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Colombian Man Who Was Not Target of Warrant

ICE Agent Fatal Shooting of Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford

Fatal Shooting During ICE Enforcement Operation

The incident occurred at approximately 7 a.m. Monday during an ICE surveillance operation targeting the last known address of a person with a final order of removal. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, agents attempted to stop a vehicle leaving the property. The department stated that the driver tried to flee, prompting an ICE officer to discharge his weapon because he feared for public safety. Officials provided few additional details and did not explain exactly how the driver posed an immediate threat.

Witnesses described seeing officers pull the bloodied driver from his vehicle before handcuffing him as he lay motionless on the ground. Daniel Boucher, a 71-year-old Biddeford resident, claimed he heard several loud bangs during the confrontation. The Biddeford Police Department and the FBI responded to the scene, although federal officials did not immediately clarify which agency would lead the investigation.

Senator Angus King and Secretary Markwayne Mullin Address Identification Discrepancies

Identification of the Victim and Discrepancies in Reporting

The victim was identified as Joan Sebastian Guerrero. Early information shared with Maine Senator Angus King suggested the driver had allegedly used his vehicle as a weapon against officers. However, King’s office later said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin updated him with new information confirming the man who was killed was not actually the individual targeted by the immigration warrant.

For more on this story, see ICE Officer Fatally Shot Maine Man Who Was Not Target of Federal Warrant.

Guerrero’s family and community members have expressed deep grief. In an audio message distributed to Colombian news stations, Guerrero’s father, Omar Durán, said his son had always been a judicious, loving, and disciplined man. "He was a person who loved his family so much," Durán said. Guerrero worked two jobs, spending mornings at a veterinary clinic and switching to food delivery after his shift was over. "He had a lot of visions to get ahead in life, a lot of dreams to achieve," Durán said.

Fernanda Vergara McLaughlin, a prominent member of the Colombian community in Maine, said that while the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown has left many living in constant fear, the deadly shooting exacerbated that sense of dread. "I thought it would be like the American dream," said McLaughlin, who immigrated to the U.S. in 2019. "But I’m more scared here than I ever was there."

Senator Susan Collins Demands Pause on ICE Vehicle Stops

Calls for Transparency and Body Camera Policy

The lack of documentation regarding the incident has intensified public scrutiny. Senator Angus King confirmed that the ICE agents involved in the operation were not equipped with body cameras during the operation. U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine said in a statement Tuesday that she has urged DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to "cease all non-urgent vehicle stops." She stated that "while the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions" to warrant the pause.

As news of the shooting spread, social media was flooded with emotional reactions and allegations that quickly went viral. A widely shared post claimed, "ICE has shot and killed yet another man, this time a 26-year-old Colombian in Maine who was not the target of their investigation." Another widely circulated allegation accused officers of handcuffing the victim after he had already died. The post read, "They shot him, dragged his lifeless body onto the pavement, and handcuffed his corpse while his 3-year-old daughter wearing Bluey pajamas watched in horror."

Governor Henry McMaster Appoints Darline Graham Nordone to Senate Seat

Broader Political Context: South Carolina Senate Appointment

This follows our earlier report, ICE Officer Kills Colombian Man in Maine; Multiple Agencies Investigate.

While the investigation in Maine continues, federal attention is also focused on a change in the U.S. Senate. Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, is set to become South Carolina’s first female senator after the state’s Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to serve the rest of the late Republican’s term. She is expected to be sworn in this afternoon to finish her brother’s six-year term, which ends in January.

The appointment came hours after President Donald Trump recommended that McMaster appoint her, saying it would be "a fabulous tribute to Lindsey." Senator Graham died Saturday at the age of 71 of what was preliminarily diagnosed as a rupture of his aorta due to a hardening of his arteries, his office said. Graham Nordone is a commissioner for the South Carolina Commission of the Blind, a state agency that provides services to "individuals who are blind or low vision," according to its website.

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