Man killed by immigration agent during operation in Maine, official says

A man was killed by a US federal immigration agent in Maine as he "attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot", the state's attorney general has said.

The incident took place in Biddeford, 18 miles (30km) south of Portland, on Monday morning. The shooting involved an officer from the Enforcement Removal Operations department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Maine's attorney general said in a statement.

The officer has been placed on leave, the statement said, adding that the incident is under investigation.

Last week, ICE agents shot a man in Texas during a vehicle stop. Officials later said the man was not the intended target.

"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," the statement said.

The statement added that the name of the deceased man is not being released until he is formally identified and his family are notified.

The inspector general's office for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, is taking over the investigation, according to Senator Susan Collins, a Republican representing Maine.

Fellow Maine senator Angus King, a Democrat, said he was initially told by DHS chief Markwayne Mullin that the person who was shot dead was a target of an arrest warrant in an immigration operation.

But hours later, King said Mullin called him to say the man was actually not the target of a warrant, his office told the BBC.

The BBC has reached out to DHS for comment.

According to the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, the person who was killed was a 26-year old Colombian man who was authorised to work in the US.

"He was a member of our community, a neighbor, and a human being whose life was cut tragically short," the organisation said in a statement, which did not name the man.

"We extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and everyone now grieving this unimaginable loss."

Protests broke out in Biddeford following the shooting. Others gathered outside the entrance of Sen. Collins' office, to protest against her vote to fund ICE.

The senator has called for a "full and impartial investigation of what happened".

One witness told the Biddeford Gazette that around 07:20 local time, he saw lights flashing from an unmarked white SUV, and "at least two officers wearing green ICE vests".

Lucas Scott, a Biddeford resident, said the agents were yelling loudly as they surrounded a white sedan. He then heard at least four gunshots.

Another witness told the Associated Press (AP) news agency that the man who was killed lived nearby with his wife and daughter.

"I watched a wife fall to her knees looking at her husband's dead body on the ground," Mary Hayes said.

"I watched a little girl crying with a little pink backpack on because she's never going to see her father again."

Maine Senator Angus King said that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin had told him that the man was shot after attempting to drive his car at police.

"He was in a vehicle — pulled out in the vehicle, and the term the secretary used was 'weaponized' the vehicle and was shot by an ICE agent," King said.

He added that officers involved did not wear body cameras, and that officials will be investigating whether deadly force was necessary.

"That's what this investigation is all about and I certainly intend to stay after it to do everything I can to be sure the investigation is as transparent and thorough as possible," King said, according to the AP.

The incident on Monday draws renewed scrutiny on the DHS - which oversees ICE - and it's leadership by Mullin.

Mullins took over the role in March, replacing Kristi Noem after she was fired by the US president.

Noem's departure followed a similar string of cases in which encounters involving immigration officers ended with the deaths of American citizens, including Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

The deaths of Pretti and Good came after the Trump administration announced immigration enforcement surges in Minnesota and other states.

Federal officials launched a similar operation in Maine, in January, dubbed Operation Catch of the Day.

Multiple civil rights organisations filed a lawsuit against the administration for immigration officers' aggressive tactics during enforcement surges.