Patty Murray calls DHS's account of the Jimenez shooting "ridiculous"

Patty MurrayU.S. senator for Washington

Condemned

Sen. Patty Murray called DHS's account of the shooting of Carlos Jimenez ridiculous, saying there is basically no evidence that he tried to run officers over and that the bullet entered through his rear passenger window as he drove away.

“Now the DHS version of events is once again ridiculous. They say that officers fired at him after he tried to run them over. Though—as with so many other cases—there is basically no evidence of that so far.”

Official statement

Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Murray's March 10 remarks on immigration-agent shootings · Patty MurrayMARIMAR MARTINEZ, JULIO CESAR SOSA-CELIS and CARLOS JIMENEZ sections

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Carlos Jimenez standing at a polling place with his arm in a sling after being shot by an immigration agent.
Credit: The Simon Law Group via Noticias Telemundo

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.

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Source and context

Official statement

Murray's March 10 remarks on immigration-agent shootings (opens in a new tab) · Patty MurrayMARIMAR MARTINEZ, JULIO CESAR SOSA-CELIS and CARLOS JIMENEZ sections

About this source

Official transcript with Murray's case-specific criticisms.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

Murray said that, according to his attorney, Jimenez, a U.S. citizen, stopped to tell agents they were blocking an elementary school bus stop, that an officer pointed a gun at his face, and that he was shot in the shoulder as he pulled forward to leave.

After the quotation

She said the bullet went in through the rear passenger window and that Jimenez was arrested at the hospital before he could get full treatment.

How this statement is classified

Condemned

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

The reference point is Officer Eusebio Ortiz's gunfire at Carlos Jimenez. Murray rejects DHS's account that Jimenez tried to run officers over and says he was shot from behind as he drove away, which rejects the justification for the shooting. The closest competing label is Challenged characterization, but she disputes the basis for the shooting itself, not a label.

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More from this case

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Greg Jackson calls the Jimenez shooting unlawful

Greg Jackson

“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.”
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Chad Pennington calls Ortiz’s force improper

Chad Pennington

“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.”
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Ayah Sarsour calls Ortiz’s force improper

Ayah A. Sarsour

“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.”
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The Dispute Index
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Patty Murray calls DHS's account of the Jimenez shooting "ridiculous"
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The Dispute Index. "Patty Murray calls DHS's account of the Jimenez shooting "ridiculous"". First published: 2026-10-07. Last updated: 2026-10-07. https://disputeindex.com/events/5169-sen-patty-murray-called-dhs-s-account-of