The immigration agent who fatally shot a 26-year-old man in front of his young daughter on Monday in Biddeford, Maine, was a newly sworn-in officer who had spent years in a different branch of federal service, according to sources familiar with the case. The victim has been identified as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a Colombian national who was driving to work when the encounter turned deadly, deepening a national outcry over how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is carrying out its operations.
Guerrero was shot around 07:00 EDT at the corner of Pool and Hill streets, agents having watched an address for a person with a final order of removal. But Guerrero, witnesses and lawmakers say, was never the man they were looking for. He was killed in a white Kia registered to a Biddeford resident named Jonathan Ramirez; it remains unclear whether Ramirez was driving at the moment shots were fired. Neighbors reported hearing at least four gunshots ring out.
The scene that followed has haunted the small city. Guerrero’s three-year-old daughter, wearing Bluey pajamas, stood crying in the street as her mother collapsed to her knees beside his body. A local resident, Mary Hayes, described a sound she could not shake. “I heard agony,” Hayes said.
Conflicting Accounts From Washington
The federal government’s explanation has shifted and, critics say, remains unsupported. In a statement issued nearly 12 hours after the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the officer fired his weapon fearing for public safety as Guerrero attempted to flee. In separate briefings to some members of Congress, the department claimed Guerrero had “weaponized his vehicle toward law enforcement.” No evidence backing that assertion has been made public.
Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent, said he was first told by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that the man killed was the target of the arrest warrant. Hours later, King’s office said, Mullin called back to correct the record: Guerrero was not the target at all. King has emphasized a critical gap in the case, noting that body cameras were not worn by the agents, leaving no video evidence of what unfolded.
Multiple sources said the officer who fired was newly sworn in to ICE and had been employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs in law enforcement capacity beginning in 2017. He has been placed on leave pending an investigation. The inspector general’s office for DHS is taking over the inquiry, according to Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, with assistance from the FBI, Biddeford police, Saco police and Maine State Police.
A Devoted Father Authorized to Work
Guerrero came from Bucaramanga, a city in north-central Colombia, and had built a life in Maine. The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC) said he was authorized to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number. A DHS spokesperson said Guerrero entered the country illegally on Sept. 1, 2023, via the southern border, and was granted a work permit in May 2025. The spokesperson added that work authorization does not confer legal status. Work permits are sometimes issued to people with pending asylum claims, though it is unclear whether Guerrero had one.
His social media told the story of a devoted father, with photographs of his daughter and posts centered on fatherhood. A family friend confirmed his identity and said he leaves behind a wife, a three-year-old child and a sister. A neighbor who spoke about him voiced certainty about the kind of man Guerrero was. “He was just trying to escape,” the neighbor said.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills said the revelation that the government was not even looking for Guerrero made the tragedy more disturbing and infuriating, and pointed to what she called a reckless and haphazard manner of immigration enforcement across the country. Both Collins and Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain have called for a thorough and unbiased inquiry into the incident. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who represents the region, identified Guerrero and noted that his daughter will never see her father again. The Embassy of Colombia said it is providing consular assistance to the family and has requested clarification from DHS.
Second Deadly Shooting in a Week
Guerrero’s death was the second fatal ICE shooting in seven days. On July 7, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national who had lived in the U.S. for 35 years, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Houston. Local leaders said Salgado was not the target of that operation either. In the wake of the two killings, Mullin ordered ICE to temporarily halt vehicle stops, with sources describing the pause as temporary while officers receive new training.
In Biddeford, the grief has spilled into the streets. Dozens of demonstrators gathered after the shooting, and protests formed outside Collins’ office. A vigil was expected at seven o’clock at Mechanics Park, where the city added large concrete barriers around the perimeter to keep attendees safe. MIRC and the advocacy group Presente! issued a joint statement demanding a prompt, independent and transparent investigation, and insisting that ICE not be permitted to investigate itself. As one neighbor put it simply of Guerrero, he was a good person.