An Applebee’s employee remembered that he always asked how the staff were doing and whether they needed anything. His father in Colombia called him a wonderful son. Johan’s partner wrote that she was trying to find the strength to continue raising the daughter he called his princess.¹,⁶
They do not owe the public a performance of their grief. The government owes them an accounting: what agents knew before each stop, what commands were given, where the officers stood, when the shots were fired and why no body-camera footage exists.
The temporary pause may prevent another family from receiving the same news. It does not explain why agents stopped Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, why the encounter escalated or why the government’s first account was wrong.
His daughter will not understand removal orders, target packets or tactical reviews. She will understand that her father is gone. Perhaps she will remember the laundromat, the candy machine and the familiar weight of the quarters he placed in her hand while she decided what to buy.
Before the surveillance, the unmarked vehicles and the six shots, that was the life Johan expected to return to.
It is also where the government’s accounting should begin.
Bibliography
1. Portland Press Herald. “Who Was Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, the Man Killed by ICE in Biddeford?” July 14, 2026.
2. WGME. “‘Mi Amor, Mi Amor’: Neighbors Describe Aftermath of Deadly ICE Shooting in Biddeford.” July 13–14, 2026.
3. Portland Press Herald. “Biddeford Woman Recounts Seeing Victim’s Family After Deadly Shooting.” July 13, 2026.
4. Portland Press Herald. “Biddeford Witness Saw Gunshot Victim Bleeding After ICE Shooting.” July 13, 2026.
5. Associated Press. “Trump Administration Orders ICE to Suspend Most Vehicle Stops After Two Deadly Shootings.” July 14, 2026.
6. Noticias Telemundo. “El colombiano al que ICE mató a tiros en Maine se parecía a un hombre al que buscaban, pero no era él.” July 14, 2026.
7. Associated Press. “Mexican Builder Fatally Shot by an ICE Officer Is Mourned After Making a Life in the U.S.” July 2026.
8. Reuters. “Witnesses to Fatal Houston ICE Shooting Challenge Agency’s Account, Lawyer Says.” July 10, 2026.
9. Reuters. “ICE Suspends Traffic Stops in Wake of Maine Fatal Shooting, Border Czar Says.” July 14, 2026.
10. CBS News. “ICE Halts Most Vehicle Stops After Maine and Texas Shootings.” July 14, 2026.
11. Associated Press. “In Maine, a Familiar Story Unfolds: Immigration Officers Fatally Shot the Driver of a Moving Vehicle.” July 14, 2026. Chron.com. “Sons Seek Names of ICE Agents Involved in Father’s Houston Death.” July 2026.