The 911 calls made after ICE fatally shot Biddeford man

Emergency calls made in the minutes after immigration agents fatally shot Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford show the scramble and lack of communication between federal and local authorities, according to records obtained by Maine Morning Star.

A neighbor was the first to report shots fired on July 13. Then a U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement agent called to report a shooting, and when asked by the dispatcher, confirmed the agency’s involvement. 

Throughout subsequent calls from people who heard or saw the aftermath of the incident, the dispatcher relays that they don’t have clarity on what happened. While parts of the calls are redacted, someone connected to Guerrero called to ask which hospital he was being taken to. 

No video of the shooting has been released, only footage from the moments leading up to and after, and accounts by federal authorities have been contradictory. While the federal government said there would be an investigation, little has been disclosed more than a month later. 

The Maine Attorney General confirmed it is continuing to investigate. The office has denied the majority of Maine Morning Star’s requests for information while that investigation remains open, such as communication between federal and state agencies and the coroner’s report, but released the 911 call logs that reveal more about the moments just after the killing.   

The first 911 call, which came in at 7:18 a.m., was from a neighbor reporting gun shots.

Caller: “Hi. I’m calling from [redacted]. I think there were just shots fired from a passing car or someplace. I think you already got it. I can hear sirens.”

Dispatcher: “Not our sirens. I’m not sure. You said [redacted] Street in Biddeford?”

Caller: “I’m just… I don’t see anybody hurt from my window, but I’m not going outside.” 

Dispatcher: “Ok and you’re not sure where it came from?”

Caller: “I’m not… I couldn’t see. There was a car driving away very quickly. I heard the shot, or what I think are shots. I never really… I’m not really familiar with guns and then someone hollered ‘shots fired, shots fired.’ So I’m just calling to be sure.”

Dispatcher: Alright, I will have an officer over, ok?

Caller: “Thank you so much, bye.”

Dispatcher: “Bye. (To other personnel in the room) There’s a high priority call in there.”

Two minutes later, at 7:20 a.m., an ICE agent called 911. 

ICE agent: “Um, we just umm, I’m an ICE agent, we just um, there has been a shooting right there at the center… and High St.”

Dispatcher: “Ok. Are you guys involved?”

ICE agent: “Yes.”

Dispatcher: “Ok.”

ICE agent: “We are conducting an enforcement action there.”

Dispatcher: “Do you need an ambulance?”

ICE agent: <unintelligible> “We have one Hispanic male shot.” 

Dispatcher: “Ok, I will have an ambulance over there too.”

ICE agent: “Alright, thanks.” 

At 7:21 a.m., another caller in Biddeford told the dispatcher, “ICE just murdered somebody in the intersection of Hill and Pool Street.” 

When the dispatcher asked the caller if they knew the status of the person shot, the caller responded, “The guy was not moving. They pulled him out of the car with like four bullet holes in him. Bleeding all over the place.” 

Another caller at 7:21 a.m. reported gunfire and told the dispatcher they hit another car when they “scrambled” through the intersection. The dispatcher directed the caller to go to the Biddeford Police Department. 

At 7:33 a.m., Portland Police Department called Biddeford Police to transfer a 911 call, telling the dispatcher: “I have a caller on the line that has a client who claims that her [redacted] was shot by ICE in Biddeford today and is in distress. My caller is traveling on 295 and doesn’t have any further information.” 

When the call was transferred over to Biddeford Police, the caller said, “I am calling because one of my employees just called me. She is in distress right now because [redacted] got shot by the ICE agents in Biddeford. She is calling, I mean I am calling because she doesn’t speak English and her, I mean she wants to know where [redacted] been taken to, like which hospital.” 

Dispatcher: “It’s an active scene. I don’t have any particulars. There are multiple police officers on the scene so I’m sure… Is she there?”

Caller: “I don’t know to be honest with you. I’m in Portland right now.” 

Dispatcher: “So I don’t have details about what is going on but there are multiple police officers and fire department on the scene, so I don’t know what is going on but they are working through the situations.”

Caller: “Ok. Oh Jesus. Ok.” 

At 7:37 a.m., a 911 call came in from someone who requested a Spanish interpreter. When the interpreter joins the line, the interpreter relays back to the dispatcher that the person wants to know what happened to [redacted]. “Is (unclear) Pool Street and I would like to know about the situation.” 

Similar to the last call, the dispatcher said that police are at the scene but that they don’t have details about what happened. “She would have to speak with them if she is able to come out and try to flag an officer down and speak with them in person,” the dispatcher said.

The interpreter told the dispatcher that the caller relayed that to another person they were with before hanging up.