Shortly after 7 a.m. on a Monday, Joan Sebastian Guerrero was fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Biddeford, Maine. The incident took place in Mr. Guerrero’s car when agents fired five times. The sequence of events leading to the shooting remains unclear, as no video footage capturing the moments before the shooting or the killing itself has been released. However, several videos have surfaced, revealing Mr. Guerrero was shot before his vehicle moved into an intersection.
The Department of Homeland Security released a statement indicating Mr. Guerrero, identified as a Colombian national, was shot while attempting to escape in his vehicle from immigration agents. An agent discharged his weapon under the presumption of a public safety threat. Additional communication to Congressional members stated that Mr. Guerrero ‘weaponized his vehicle toward law enforcement.’
Similar claims have been made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in recent incidents where motorists allegedly ‘weaponized’ their vehicles, though video analysis and eyewitness accounts have occasionally contradicted these claims.
A surveillance video obtained by The New York Times recorded yelling, followed by five gunshots. Exclamations such as ‘Move it, let’s go,’ and ‘Back, Back!’ are heard preceding the gunfire. Neither Mr. Guerrero nor the agents appear in the footage.