Biddeford mourns community member killed in ICE shooting

The city of Biddeford is grieving after the loss of a resident.

Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Monday morning. Federal lawmakers have stated that Duran Guerrero was not the intended target of the arrest warrant. 

The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said Duran Guerrero, was a 26-year-old Columbian man who was legal to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number.

At noon on Monday, a few hundred people showed up at Mechanics Park to protest ICE and marched to Susan Collins office on Main Street. A much larger crowd gathered Monday night at the park for a vigil walk, carrying signs, flowers and candles. When the walk was over, people lingered in the park and sang songs, listened to speakers and attached hand-written messages to a fence.

At the intersection of Pool and Hill streets, where the shooting occurred, a memorial of flowers and candles had been set up along the sidewalk. A small plush Bluey toy sat among the flowers, a tribute to Duran Guerrero’s three-year-old daughter, who was said to be wearing Bluey pajamas when her father died.

Cars passing by honked and drivers yelled – some in support of the memorial, some not.

As this reporter walked toward the memorial, a woman sitting on a rollator walker said, “Don’t walk over there.” She pointed to the street to a faint red streak on the pavement. “There’s blood on the street.”

Another woman bent down to put some flowers on the memorial.

“He was such a nice guy,” she said quietly. “He was a hard worker.”

According to Newsweek, Duran Guerrero’s father, Omar Duran, described his son as "a person of good values" who left Columbia to build a better life for his wife and daughter. Duran Guerrero worked two jobs, according to his father.

On Tuesday, the day after the shooting, the memorial at the corner of Hill and Pool streets continued to grow. Down at Mechanics Park, a small group of people stood along the street with signs, protesting ICE.

The City of Biddeford, in partnership with local non-profit agency Sweetser, on Tuesday announced free counseling sessions for those who were grieving.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Saco and Biddeford is holding an interfaith vigil from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15 at 60 School St., Saco. A protest against ICE will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, July 17 at Mechanics Park, at the corner of Main and Water streets in Biddeford.

The Maine Federal Delegation – Senator Susan Collins, Senator Angus King, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Congressman Jared Golden wrote a joint letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari asking for an independent review of Monday’s incident.

“Given the gravity of the situation and the understandable anxiety within the Biddeford community, we urge you to prioritize this investigation. Timely and factual answers will be critical to providing closure for the grieving community and ensuring that federal law enforcement operations are conducted safely, lawfully, and in a manner that respects public safety,” wrote the lawmakers.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.