A 28-year-old man was killed Tuesday morning after being struck by a tractor-trailer while fleeing an encounter with federal immigration agents in St. Augustine, Florida. The man was one of four occupants of a vehicle that stopped at a gas station and convenience store before 7 a.m. During the encounter with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the four fled on foot, with one darting across State Road 16 into the path of the semi-truck. The truck driver stopped and attempted to render aid, but the man died at the scene. DHS identified him as a Mexican national.
The incident marks the third fatal encounter involving ICE agents in roughly a week, following shootings in Texas and Maine. In Biddeford, Maine, ICE agents fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian national during a traffic stop after he allegedly drove his vehicle toward an officer. In Houston, an ICE officer shot and killed a 52-year-old man who was also not the target of the operation. Neither incident involved body cameras, with Republicans blaming Democrats and the government shutdown for delays in their distribution. DHS has since instructed ICE officers nationwide to stop conducting vehicle stops, effective immediately.
Democratic state Representative Angie Nixon criticized ICE following the incident, calling for the agency to be abolished. Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has pressed for accountability in the Maine shooting. The Florida Highway Patrol and HSI are investigating the incident, with additional information expected to be released when available.