DHS says Ortiz fired in defense of his life
Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs
“The car stopped and attempted to run officers over by reversing directly at them without stopping. An ICE officer, fearing for his life, fired defensive shots at the vehicle.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Contemporaneous Los Angeles Times reporting on the Ontario shooting, including statements from DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin and Rep. Norma Torres.
Before the quotation
DHS was explaining why an ICE officer opened fire during the Ontario traffic-stop encounter.
After the quotation
McLaughlin called the episode an example of the threats ICE officers face while enforcing immigration law.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Was ICE Officer Eusebio Ortiz justified in shooting Carlos Jimenez?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
She supplies the government’s justification for the shooting and explicitly describes the shots as defensive.
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Was ICE Officer Eusebio Ortiz justified in shooting Carlos Jimenez?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full case“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
“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
“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