Carlos Jimenez says he was shot while backing up to drive away
Carlos JimenezPerson shot by an ICE agent
Jimenez told the court he was shot as he was backing up during a three-point turn to drive away, after an officer approached him with a gun and he was told to leave. The San Bernardino County Sentinel reported that part of his account in its own words. The quoted question is what Jimenez said he asked when the armed officer approached.
“Are you really going to shoot an American citizen?”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was ICE Officer Eusebio Ortiz justified in shooting Carlos Jimenez?
On October 30, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officer Eusebio Ortiz fired a shot that struck U.S. citizen Carlos Jimenez in the shoulder during an immigration enforcement operation in Ontario, California. A federal complaint alleged that Jimenez rapidly reversed his Lexus toward a Customs and Border Protection officer and a stopped Honda, causing the officer to fear a collision. Jimenez's attorneys said he was maneuvering away after warning agents that schoolchildren would soon arrive at a nearby bus stop, and that the bullet entered through the rear passenger window and struck his back shoulder. A federal court later ordered production of officer communications and use-of-force policies. The parties then entered a diversion agreement under which prosecutors may seek dismissal with prejudice after October 31, 2026. The dispute is whether Jimenez's vehicle posed an imminent threat when Ortiz fired.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
The article recounts competing accounts of the shooting and reports that federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss the criminal case with prejudice.
Before the quotation
At his October 31, 2025 court hearing, Jimenez said he had asked officers at a traffic stop to be careful because children would soon arrive at a nearby school bus stop. He said one officer then drew his gun and approached him, prompting him to raise his voice.
After the quotation
Jimenez said an officer armed with a gun and pepper spray then told him to leave. He said he was shot as he was backing up during a three-point turn to drive away. The account became part of the dispute over whether his vehicle threatened the agent.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
His account directly challenges the characterization that he drove at the agent in a way that justified deadly force.
- Recorded on
- Published here
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by Carlos Jimenez
- Previous language
- “It was as he was backing up that he was shot,” Jimenez said.
- Corrected language
- Are you really going to shoot an American citizen?
We presented the San Bernardino County Sentinel's paraphrase of Jimenez's account as his direct quotation. The article did not quote those words. The entry now quotes only words the article attributes to Jimenez and describes the rest of his account in the summary.
This corrects our account of what happened.
The article recounts competing accounts of the shooting and reports that federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss the criminal case with prejudice.
More from this case
Read the full caseGreg Jackson calls the Jimenez shooting unlawful
“their agreement to dismiss with prejudice bolsters our own argument that the shooting itself was unlawful and the charges against Mr. Jimenez entirely fabricated and baseless. The shooter, Agent Ortiz, violated department policy by firing his weapon at a moving vehicle, and Mr. Jimenez was in fact complying with Mr. Ortiz’s orders to drive away when Mr. Ortiz tried to murder him and shot him anyway.”Read statement
Chad Pennington calls Ortiz’s force improper
“This case is yet another matter stemming from an aggressive ICE traffic stop and interaction with the public that resulted in catastrophic consequences and the subsequent filing of an unsupportable criminal charge. Indeed, this case fits a recent and endemic national pattern of ICE using aggressive traffic stop techniques and then employing the improper use of near-lethal force against an American citizen.”Read statement
Ayah Sarsour calls Ortiz’s force improper
“This case is yet another matter stemming from an aggressive ICE traffic stop and interaction with the public that resulted in catastrophic consequences and the subsequent filing of an unsupportable criminal charge. Indeed, this case fits a recent and endemic national pattern of ICE using aggressive traffic stop techniques and then employing the improper use of near-lethal force against an American citizen.”Read statement
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- Carlos Jimenez says he was shot while backing up to drive away
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The Dispute Index. "Carlos Jimenez says he was shot while backing up to drive away". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/1453-jimenez-told-the-court-he-was-shot-as