Maine ICE shooting under investigation as questions grow over fatal encounter
Demonstrators gathered for a vigil after the shooting, calling for changes to federal immigration enforcement.
(NBC)- A fatal shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer is under investigation in Maine as protests continue and questions mount about the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
Demonstrators gathered for a vigil after the shooting, calling for changes to federal immigration enforcement.
Video from the scene appears to show a white vehicle driving in circles while an ICE officer attempts to open the driver’s door. It is unclear whether the footage was recorded before or after the shots were fired. Another video appears to show federal agents removing an unresponsive man from the vehicle and placing him in handcuffs.
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said officers were conducting targeted surveillance at the last known address of someone with a final order of removal when a person who was in the country illegally drove away from the residence. ICE said the vehicle attempted to flee and that an officer fired out of concern for public safety.
However, Maine Independent Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told him the person officers intended to arrest was not the individual who was killed.
Two immigrant rights organizations identified the man as a 26-year-old from Colombia who they said was authorized to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number. Authorities have not publicly identified the victim.
Officials also confirmed the ICE officer involved was not wearing a body camera.
According to a person familiar with the investigation, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General is now investigating the shooting.
The investigation comes as ICE significantly increases immigration enforcement nationwide. A source familiar with the agency’s operations told NBC News ICE arrested more than 1,300 people Saturday and another 1,100 Sunday, up from an average of about 600 arrests per weekend day last month.
