ICE Shooting in Biddeford, Maine Leaves 26-Year-Old Colombian Man Dead

Fatal Incident at Pool and Hill Streets

The Biddeford Police Department confirmed an incident involving ICE personnel took place on Monday morning, leading to the closure of the intersection of Pool and Hill streets. Police confirmed the closure to the media at 8:15 a.m. A nearby doorbell camera shared with CNN captured the sound of what appears to be at least four gunshots.

Daniel Boucher, a 71-year-old local resident who lives on a corner of the street where the shooting happened, told NBC News he had a direct view of the event. After hearing shots at about 7:30 a.m., he observed one large white vehicle ram a smaller one, followed by a second ramming. Boucher stated that he saw an officer open the door of one of the vehicles and pull a man, whose head was bleeding profusely, out of the vehicle. He reported hearing the man say, “I tried to stop.” Another resident, Rose Littlefield, told WMTW she was awoken at about 8 a.m. by the sound of gunshots, describing them as “really loud bangs,” and noticed a significant presence of law enforcement.

A video obtained by ABC News showed first responders giving medical aid to a person on their back in the street in the middle of the intersection next to a white sedan. People wearing U.S. Border Patrol vests were visible standing nearby. The video also showed a law enforcement vehicle in contact with the passenger side of the white sedan.

Victim Identification and Official Responses

Advocacy groups, including the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition and Presente!, identified the deceased as a 26-year-old Colombian man who was authorized to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number. Ruben Torres, the advocacy and policy manager at the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, told NBC News they are waiting to inform his family of his death before releasing any additional details publicly.

Maine Governor Janet Mills issued a statement noting she had been briefed on the fatal shooting. “I know that situations like these are alarming and frightening,” she said. “The Maine State Police are at the scene supporting and working cooperatively with the Attorney General’s Office, Maine’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner, and Federal officials to determine the facts of what occurred this morning.”

Federal Investigation and Legislative Inquiry

The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. Biddeford Police Chief JoAnn Fisk told Maine’s Total Coverage that this was not her department’s investigation and that all information would come from the FBI and the Office of the Attorney General. Sen. Angus King stated at noon on Monday that he was told by the Department of Homeland Security that the person who was killed was a man in his 20s who had been given an order to leave the country. King also said DHS told him that the person “weaponized the vehicle” and that they were shot by an ICE agent.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who represents Maine’s 1st District, posted a video on Instagram around 9:40 a.m. Monday expressing her reaction. “I am so deeply disturbed and angry,” Pingree said. “I, of course, need to know all of the answers here.” She raised questions regarding whether officers were pursuing someone with a criminal record, if it was a traffic stop, if the officers were wearing body cameras, and why the person was shot. “More than anything else, I want to know, why are you in Maine?” Pingree said. “Every report we hear is about somebody being picked up who legally was here, and is this going to be another one of those stories?”

Other state officials also commented on the scene. Maine Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau stated, “This morning a shooting occurred in Biddeford. A person was killed. ICE was involved.” Former state Sen. Troy Jackson also acknowledged the incident, stating his team was monitoring the situation closely.

Find more reporting in our News section.