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Biddeford ICE shooting: Target was not the fatal victim, says Rep. Pingree
During a congressional field hearing in Biddeford, Maine, Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree revealed that the intended target of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation was not Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, the 25-year-old Colombian national killed in a July 13 shooting.
Pingree stated that the actual target was Durán Guerrero’s roommate, who owned the vehicle Durán Guerrero was driving at the time of the incident. Furthermore, Pingree asserted that neither the victim nor the intended target had a final order of removal. Durán Guerrero held a valid work permit and had a pending asylum case.
This revelation contradicts previous statements from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which claimed agents were conducting surveillance on an individual with a final order of removal. An ICE spokesperson maintained that the agency was performing targeted surveillance at a known address but declined to disclose specific intelligence methods, stating they did not claim Durán Guerrero or his roommate were the specific targets.
The shooting remains under investigation by the Maine Attorney General’s Office. The hearing, which included testimony from the victim's family and local officials, highlighted concerns regarding ICE’s use of deadly force and transparency in federal law enforcement operations.
Entities
Bennie Thompson · Biddeford · Chellie Pingree · Department of Homeland Security · Immigration and Customs Enforcement · Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 5 SOURCES] Durán Guerrero was a 25-year-old Colombian national. srnnews.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · www.centralmaine.com · www.themainewire.com · www.ibtimes.co.uk
- [DISPUTED] ICE was conducting targeted surveillance on the last known address of an individual with a final order of removal. srnnews.com · www.themainewire.com · www.ibtimes.co.uk · www.troyrecord.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] The shooting of Durán Guerrero is under investigation by the Office of the Maine Attorney General. srnnews.com · www.troyrecord.com
- [DISPUTED] The roommate, who owned the vehicle, did not have a final order of removal. srnnews.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · www.centralmaine.com · www.themainewire.com · www.ibtimes.co.uk · +2 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] The intended target of the ICE operation was Durán Guerrero’s roommate, not Durán Guerrero himself. srnnews.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · www.centralmaine.com · www.themainewire.com · www.ibtimes.co.uk · +2 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] House Democrats have not received a response from DHS regarding a letter sent about the shooting weeks ago. ca.news.yahoo.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero had a pending asylum case and a valid work permit. srnnews.com · www.centralmaine.com · www.themainewire.com · www.ibtimes.co.uk · www.troyrecord.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] DHS stands by its prior assessment of the shooting. srnnews.com · www.troyrecord.com