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By Dan Gooding, Joshua Rhett Miller, Billal Rahman, and Hannah Parry
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A man was fatally shot by a federal agent in Biddeford, Maine, Monday morning as he "attempted to flee the scene" of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation, the Trump administration said late Monday.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek that the man had died from his injuries following the incident around 7 a.m. ET. Officers had been looking for an illegal immigrant at his last-known address.
"An illegal alien departed the residence in a vehicle. ICE law enforcement attempted to conduct a vehicle stop. The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and fearing for public safety an officer discharged his weapon," an ICE spokesperson said.
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“The driver of the vehicle was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted. He passed away from his injuries."
The as-yet unidentified man's death came less than a week after the death of a Mexican national in Texas. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed while he was on his way to work in Houston, Texas, on July 7. ICE said he had "weaponized his vehicle," leading to an officer firing his weapon. No bodycam footage was available for either incident.
Biddeford ICE Shooting: What We Know
Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, a Biddeford resident, initially said in a statement shared on Facebook that a shooting occurred in the city and that one person was killed. He said ICE was involved and that the Maine State Police and the Department of Public Safety were responding to gather additional details.
"Our community is shaken by this incident. We are heartbroken that someone lost their life. We deserve answers about why lethal force was used and why an operation was being carried out in our streets," Fecteau said in a later press release shared with Newsweek.
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DHS did not release further information on the incident for almost 12 hours. The man's identity was yet to be confirmed Monday evening.
The Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine later said in a press release that a 26-year-old Colombian man had died in the incident.
“Our communities are hurting…” said MIRC Executive Director Mufalo Chitam. “Today, a 26-year-old member of our community is dead following an incident involving ICE. We are grieving, we are furious, and we will not allow his death to be treated as routine or inevitable. How much more harm must our communities endure before those with the power to act acknowledge that this has gone too far?”
Maine's Attorney General's Office said that "initial statements indicate an Enforcement Removal Operations Officer was conducting an enforcement operation related to a final order of removal when the subject attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot."
Independent Maine Senator Angus King later told reporters that he had spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about the shooting, with the secretary saying that no bodycams were worn by the agents. King said he understood the man who was killed had a final order of removal, but later said Mullin had told him that he was not the initial target of the operation.
GOP Representative Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin called the shooting "tragic," adding that "when local and state officials work with federal officials, this stuff doesn't happen."
Orden told reporters that despite the death, he was "incredibly proud of our ICE officers."
Biddeford police referred Newsweek to ICE officials for details regarding the incident. The FBI confirmed to Newsweek that agents were on the scene, but said it could provide no further information.
Blood on the Victim's Head and Face
Daniel Boucher, 71, of Biddeford, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers outside his apartment about 7:30 a.m., and ran upstairs to investigate. Federal agents had pulled a young man out of a vehicle as he claimed he was trying to stop. The man then appeared to die at the scene as officers performed CPR, Boucher recalled.
One officer who was being consoled by a colleague said the victim had tried to run him over or ram his vehicle, Boucher said.
"And that was it, that was all I saw,” Boucher told Newsweek. "That was enough to see, actually."
Boucher did not witness any shots fired, but recalled hearing several rounds go off outside of his window early Monday.
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"I could see what was happening after the shooting occurred," he said. "I saw [federal agents] trying to ram the vehicle to make him stop. The small white vehicle backed up and proceeded down the street toward me, and then they rammed him again, causing the vehicle to turn and head north on Hill Street. And that's when they pulled him out after that."
Boucher said he saw blood on the victim's head and face.
"Traumatic experience, very traumatizing," he said. "It was a really tough thing to see and hear. It's devastating. It's something you don't think will happen in your community, but then again, why wouldn't it if they keep pursuing the same goals?"
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Hill Street and Pool Street in Biddeford were closed Monday morning following the shooting, according to a dispatcher reviewed by TV station NEWS CENTER Maine.
Troy Jackson, a Democratic candidate seeking to replace Graham Platner as the Senate nominee in Maine, said in a post on X that he had been alerted to the fatal ICE shooting in Biddeford and that his team was monitoring the situation. "My heart is with Biddeford – and with all Mainers," Jackson wrote.
Calls for an Independent Investigation
In a statement published on social media, immigrant advocacy collective Project Relief expressed heartbreak over the death of the unnamed individual, whom they described as a young person whose life was cut short.
"We are in contact with the family and are committed to supporting them during this unimaginable time," the organization wrote. "Our community must come together to stand with their loved ones and ensure they are not alone. They must get justice."
On Monday evening, King called for a state-led investigation into the shooting, telling CNN's John King that it was the only way the probe was "going to have any credibility."
"The key here is an unvarnished, transparent investigation," he said.
Hannah Pingree, the Democratic nominee for governor, said in an online comment that a "life was lost in Biddeford this morning in a shooting involving ICE. I'm monitoring closely and will share updates as they come. Every Mainer deserves safety and security in their own community, along with transparency and a thorough, independent investigation into what happened."
Maine Governor Janet Mills said she had been briefed on the shooting. In a statement shared on X, Mills said, “I know that situations like these are alarming and frightening.”
She said the Maine State Police were 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.”
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U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on X, "The shooting in Biddeford requires a full and impartial investigation of what happened. It is my understanding that the Biddeford police have secured the site and that the FBI is investigating."
Protests broke out in the city, with some locals visiting Collins' Biddeford office holding signs and demanding action. The GOP Senator has backed recent waves of funding for immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump.
In a statement to Newsweek Monday afternoon, the office of Maine State Attorney General, Aaron M. Frey, said that the agent involved had been placed on leave, and that local officials would be involved with the investigation into the incident.
Video Footage Appears to Show Aftermath of the Shooting
A video circulating on Reddit appeared to show the aftermath of the Biddeford incident showed a white sedan stopped at an intersection near a Hill Street sign, surrounded by multiple law enforcement vehicles with emergency lights activated.
Several officers could be seen gathered around a person lying on the pavement beside the vehicle. Officers appeared to be providing medical assistance, with a medical bag or equipment visible on the ground nearby.
Some individuals in the footage appeared to be wearing tactical vests marked “Police” and “U.S. Marshal,” though the identities and affiliations of those officers could not be independently verified. The video did not independently establish the circumstances leading up to the incident or identify which agencies were involved.
Additional footage from the same scene showed ICE officers operating near a white pickup truck parked along a residential driveway while emergency sirens wailed in the background.
A Growing List of Fatal ICE Shootings
Fatal federal agent-involved shootings have been reported at least nine times during the second Trump administration. The killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti remain the highest-profile incidents, with Good being killed by an ICE officer, and Pretti being shot and killed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
In Minnesota on Monday, local officials announced they had received evidence from the federal government related to Good and Pretti's deaths, including statements, bodycam footage, and other evidence linked to the killings. Good's car was also handed to state investigators.
“The wonderful thing now is we have all the evidence,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a news conference. “Any time the government is responsible in whatever way of taking the life of a community member we need to have a full and thorough investigation.”
Another U.S. citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, was also fatally shot by an ICE agent in Texas in March 2025, but the connection went unreported until a Newsweek analysis of Freedom of Information Request Act (FOIA) records obtained by American Oversight in February 2026.
In the cases involving Good and Martinez, DHS alleged they had tried to run over federal agents, although video footage left those accounts up for debate.
In Houston, Texas, on July 7, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was also shot by an ICE agent, after he allegedly "weaponized his vehicle," per ICE's account of the incident. The Mexican national had lived in the U.S. for 35 years and had three American citizen sons.
Officials in Houston also promised a thorough, independent investigation into the events surrounding Salgado Araujo's death.
Have you witnessed the incident in Biddeford or captured video, photos or other footage? If you have information, please contact b.rahman@newsweek.com.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Edward Pearcey and Gray R. Thomas.
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