Maine attorney general continues investigation into fatal federal immigration-enforcement shooting in Biddeford

The Maine Attorney General’s Office is investigating the fatal shooting of a man during a federal Enforcement Removal Operations operation in Biddeford on July 13, 2026.

The state investigation concerns a federal officer’s use of deadly force during an operation involving a person who was the subject of a final order of removal. One person was killed. The man’s name had not been released as of the attorney general’s initial announcement, pending positive identification and notification of relatives.

The case places a federal immigration-enforcement operation under review by Maine’s top state law-enforcement office. The Attorney General’s Office said local, state and federal agencies were assisting with the investigation.

Initial account remains under investigation

According to the initial account described by the Attorney General’s Office, the subject attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer. That account describes the circumstances reported at the outset of the investigation; it is not a final determination about the legality or justification of the shooting.

The Attorney General’s Office has not issued a final finding on whether the use of deadly force was justified. Its initial statement also did not identify the man or provide further details about the events leading up to the shooting beyond the operation’s connection to a final removal order.

Officials have not publicly characterized the man’s immigration status or criminal history beyond that reference to a final order of removal. The available state account does not establish a broader account of the encounter, and the investigation remains the process through which investigators will assess the fatal use of force.

Federal, state and local agencies involved

Enforcement Removal Operations was conducting the operation in Biddeford. The Maine Attorney General’s Office opened the state investigation into the death, with assistance from Maine State Police, the Biddeford Police Department, the Saco Police Department and federal authorities.

The federal officer involved was placed on administrative leave, which the initial announcement described as standard procedure in police-involved shootings. Administrative leave is a personnel step identified by officials; the announcement did not describe it as a disciplinary finding or as a conclusion about the officer’s actions.

The participation of state and local agencies means the inquiry includes more than the federal operation itself. Still, the Attorney General’s Office has not specified when the investigation will be completed or what future findings, if any, it may announce.

What comes next

For now, the next known step is the continuing investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, supported by the participating law-enforcement agencies. Investigators have asked witnesses with information relevant to the shooting to contact local law enforcement.

The investigation will determine what additional factual account is made public and whether the state reaches findings concerning the use of deadly force. No such determination had been announced in the initial release.

The death occurred during a federal removal operation, making the case significant both as a fatal police-use-of-force investigation in Maine and as an instance of state oversight following a federal immigration-enforcement action. The available official information establishes the date, location and agencies involved, while leaving central questions about the encounter for the ongoing inquiry.

Sources

• Federal Law Enforcement Fatal Use of Deadly Force in Biddeford, Maine, July 13, 2026, Maine Attorney General’s Office