A man fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday was not the intended target of the arrest warrant that federal agents were executing, according to Senator Angus King’s office. The disclosure marks a significant shift from earlier statements made by the senator, who had initially reported that the victim was the target of the operation based on a conversation with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
King, an independent from Maine, told Fox News that Mullin later corrected the record in a follow-up phone call. “When I first talked to him, he said the person was the target of the warrant. He called me back. He initiated a call to me to say he had learned subsequently that he was not the target of the warrant,” King said. “So he corrected the information he had.” The senator had earlier told reporters that Mullin informed him the man killed was the subject of an immigration enforcement operation and had been ordered to leave the country.
The incident occurred in Biddeford, a coastal city roughly 15 miles southwest of Portland. King had initially relayed that the victim, described as a male in his 20s, “weaponized” a vehicle and was shot by an ICE agent. However, the senator now acknowledges that the information provided by Mullin was inaccurate. “He had given me incorrect information,” King said. “Once he learned it was incorrect, he let me know, which I respect.”
King emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the shooting, which he said would be led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation due to the involvement of federal law enforcement. He noted that the absence of body camera footage from the agents involved presents a challenge to establishing a clear account of events. “Apparently there are no cameras. Body cameras were not on the agents. So we have no video evidence of what occurred in this case,” King said during a press conference.
The senator pressed Mullin for a “full, transparent and open investigation” and said the secretary committed to ensuring the probe would be fair. “It’s a tragedy whenever there’s a loss of life. We don’t know the circumstances at this point, but my statement to Secretary Mullin was, ‘I’m going to say that you have committed to me that this investigation will be full, fair and transparent. Can I say that?’ He said, ‘Yes, absolutely,’” King recounted.
King said he intends to monitor the investigation closely, adopting a “trust but verify” approach. He stressed the importance of determining whether the victim’s actions with the vehicle justified the use of deadly force. “The question is, what did he do with his vehicle? Were officers threatened? Did the threats rise to the level that justified deadly force? That’s what this investigation is all about,” King said. He also called for state and local officials to be included in the investigative process.
Following the shooting, protests erupted outside the office of Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine. Demonstrators chanted “vote her out” and entered the building, with some hanging anti-ICE signs in the windows. King acknowledged the community’s right to demand answers. “I think the community has every right to ask questions and to bring pressure to bear on the federal government for straight answers and honest answers,” he said. “Whatever evidence there is should be made public and should be made public soon.”
Senator Collins issued a statement calling for a “full and impartial investigation” into the shooting. Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, said she had been briefed on the incident and confirmed that state police were cooperating with local and federal authorities. The Biddeford Police Department reported that it responded to calls about an occurrence at Pool and Hill streets involving ICE personnel.
The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine identified the deceased as a 26-year-old Colombian man. “He was a member of our community, a neighbor, and a human being,” the groups said in a statement. The incident has reignited debates over immigration enforcement practices and the use of deadly force by federal agents, with community advocates calling for transparency and accountability.