Immigration officer shoots driver in Maine vehicle stop

An immigration officer opened fire on a moving vehicle in Biddeford, Maine, killing the driver during an enforcement operation. The Department of Homeland Security said the officer discharged his weapon after the vehicle attempted to flee the scene, citing concerns for public safety.

The Embassy of Colombia identified the man killed as Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national.

Pattern of vehicle shootings Durán Guerrero is the ninth person killed during immigration operations since the start of the current administration's mass deportation campaign. At least four of those deaths involved people in vehicles. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday she urged the Department of Homeland Security secretary to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops.

A person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that administration officials directed immigration officers to suspend most vehicle stops.

Expert concerns and prior incidents Former acting ICE director John Sandweg said officers should not conduct traffic stops because the practice places them in danger. Immigration lawyer John Gihon, who previously worked at ICE, said officers were trained to let a vehicle go if the driver refuses to stop rather than pursue it.

Other fatal shootings during immigration operations include a 23-year-old U.S. citizen in South Texas in March 2025, a mother of three in Minneapolis in January, and a Mexican national in Houston last week.

General announced it will investigate the Biddeford shooting in coordination with federal authorities. Hundreds of protesters gathered near an ICE facility in Scarborough, Maine, on Tuesday. DHS officials initially told Maine U.S. Sen. Angus King that the officer fired after the vehicle was used as a weapon, but later issued a statement saying the vehicle attempted to flee and the officer fired fearing for public safety.