A federal immigration police agent (ICE) shot and killed a young man yesterday, Monday; according to human rights organizations, he was a 26-year-old Colombian in the state of Maine, in the northwestern United States.

The death occurred in Biddeford, a city of about 22,000 residents, one week after an ICE agent shot and killed a Mexican family man in Texas, fueling the atmosphere of outrage against the agency tasked with enforcing President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policy.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the victim, an “illegal alien” against whom a “final deportation order” was pending, attempted to “flee” a traffic stop during an operation targeting him.

“Out of concern for public safety, an agent used his weapon,” striking the driver, who subsequently succumbed to his injuries, the same source reported.

The Maine Attorney General’s Office also announced that the man who was killed “attempted to flee behind the wheel of a vehicle” that was moving “toward the agent” who opened fire.

It added that the officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave, as required by standard protocol when a fatal incident involving a law enforcement officer occurs. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that it is conducting an investigation.

An eyewitness, Daniel Butcher, told Agence France-Presse that he was inside his home when he heard gunshots.

Through a window, he saw a small sedan that had come to a stop and been struck by a white SUV. He went on to say that an ICE agent then pulled the driver out of the sedan and threw him to the ground.

“The man’s head and face were covered in blood. It was horrific. At that moment, I clearly heard the victim say, ‘I was trying to stop,’ or something to that effect.”

He collapsed seconds later.

“ICE, get out!”

Two local nongovernmental organizations, the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente Maine, which identified the victim, stated in a joint press release that, contrary to what the authorities claimed, the young man had a valid permit to stay and work in the U.S.

“We will not let this death become just a footnote in this administration’s statistics,” said Crystal Cron, executive director of Presente Maine.

Maine Senator Angus King said that initially, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Malin, with whom he spoke by phone, told him that there was an outstanding arrest warrant against the victim related to his immigration status — but he added that Malin later called him to say that the man who was killed was not the target of the operation, according to reports in the U.S. media.

Senator King called for a “full, transparent, and open investigation.”

At the scene, a security perimeter was set up at the location where the fatal incident took place.

Protesters marched through the neighborhood, holding signs bearing the slogan “ICE out!”, before gathering in front of the office of Maine’s other senator, Republican Susan Collins.

“A person’s life was lost,” and “his family and the residents of our community deserve clear answers about what happened,” said Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain in a statement.

“I recognize the fear and uncertainty that an incident of this magnitude causes in our city,” he added.

ICE agents, usually heavily armed, often with their faces covered, tasked with carrying out the mass deportation campaign of immigrants sought by Republican President Trump, have faced fierce criticism in the U.S. for their methods, which are described as excessively aggressive or even barbaric, especially following the deaths of two Americans—Renee Good and Alex Preti—in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Source: KYPE