DHS's McLaughlin says Serrano-Esquivel "was a passenger in one of the ICE vehicles that was rammed" and the driver "weaponized his vehicles"
Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
“Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was a passenger in one of the ICE vehicles that was rammed. ... The driver refused and attempted to flee, then weaponized his vehicles and began ramming his van into several ICE vehicles. He then drove his van directly at ICE officers, it appeared he was trying to run them over. Fearing for their lives and public safety, defensively fired their service weapons, striking the driver.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Reports the January 8 police statement and prints DHS's response in full. The page was posted on January 8 and updated on January 12. Other outlets reported the DHS response on January 9.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Reports the DHS statement to WTOP on Friday, January 9 and compares it with DHS's December 24 post and the county police clarification.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Anne Arundel County police had said on January 8 that Serrano-Esquivel was already in custody in an ICE vehicle.
After the quotation
DHS's first statement on December 24 had described Serrano-Esquivel as a passenger in the driver's van.
How this statement is classified
Responding to: Sousa-Martins rammed several ICE vehicles and then drove his van directly at ICE officers in an attempt to run them over, and the officers fired defensively because they feared for their lives and public safety.
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the officers' decision to fire and DHS's account of it. McLaughlin revises where the passenger was but repeats that the driver drove at officers and that they fired defensively, so the statement still defends the shooting. Mixed or conditional loses because the revision does not qualify the defense of the shooting itself.
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