Bill Durston is a retired emergency physician, former U.S. Marine and founding president of Americans Against Gun Violence.
Case
Federal immigration officers shot Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández during a Patterson vehicle stop. The government says he drove at agents; his attorney says they fired first. Dashcam footage does not resolve the timing.
Role at the time: President of Americans Against Gun Violence
Statement summary
Durston said the available evidence did not support Lyons’s defense of the shooting and strongly suggested that Lyons was lying.
“I believe that the evidence that is publicly available at the time of this writing does not support Lyons’ claims. Instead, as has been the case in multiple other statements issued by Trump administration officials following shootings committed by ICE and Border Patrol officers, I believe that the available evidence strongly suggests that Todd Lyons is lying.”
Durston rejects the government’s justification and frames the shooting as another senseless use of force requiring accountability.
Statement dates: April 15, 2026
Statement dates: April 15, 2026
Statement dates: April 15, 2026
Statement dates: April 15, 2026
