Biddeford mayor demands transparent probe after ICE shooting kills man

Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain demanded a full, thorough and transparent investigation after an ICE officer shot and killed 26-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero near Pool Street on Monday. State officials said Guerrero, also known as Joan, was a Colombian national authorized to work in the United States and was not the intended target of the operation.

The Maine Attorney General’s office said Guerrero was shot as he drove in the direction of the officer while trying to flee. Aaron Frey said the officer involved would be placed on leave, and Biddeford Police, Saco Police and Maine State Police were all assisting with the investigation. LaFountain said local law enforcement needed to be part of the review, and later added that it was “totally unacceptable” for ICE agents to operate without body cameras.

The shooting set off an immediate public response in Biddeford. Crowds began gathering at Mechanics Park around 11:30 a.m. Monday and quickly grew to more than 100 people, while demonstrations later spread to Portland and outside the office of Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Maine’s congressional delegation has also pressed for outside scrutiny, asking the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General for a comprehensive, transparent and expedited review. Sen. Angus King said he sought a transparent investigation after being briefed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The shooting came less than a week after another ICE shooting in Houston.

A 1924 Ku Klux Klan march targeted French Canadian and other Catholic immigrant mill workers in Biddeford and nearby Saco. Maine had already moved to limit certain state and local cooperation with civil immigration enforcement. Biddeford police were following a state law set to take effect later in 2026 that would ban Maine law enforcement from collaborating with ICE in certain civil immigration contexts.

City Hall said LaFountain had been in contact with Guerrero’s family, but the family asked to keep those conversations private.