Mexican national released from hospital Friday after being shot by ICE agent – The Tennessean
A Mexican national shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a vehicle stop outside a Nashville grocery store this week was released from the hospital Friday morning, his family’s attorney said.
The 39-year-old man from Veracruz, underwent surgery on Thursday night after being shot twice earlier in the day outside an Antioch Food Lion, Nashville-based immigration attorney Andrew Free said.
“He is in good health,” Free told The Tennessean Friday morning. The man’s whereabouts were not immediately known.
The man, shot in the stomach and elbow, was released from surgery about 7:30 p.m. at a Nashville-area hospital.
For security reasons, the Tennessean is not naming the immigrant or the hospital.
On Thursday, ICE spokesman Bryan Cox said that about 7 a.m. that day, ICE agents attempted to conduct a vehicle stop to arrest the man who had been deported four times from the U.S.
At some point during the stop outside the business at 936 Richards Road, the man attempted to flee and drove toward an officer, Cox said.
According to the FBI, which is leading the investigation, that agent fired two shots at the truck. Neither agent was reportedly injured.
The man escaped the scene in the truck, which was later found down the road in a mobile home park on Honolulu Road, just off Waikiki Boulevard.
The truck was found with at least two bullet holes and blood inside, authorities said.
The man surrendered to the FBI on Thursday afternoon and went to a hospital for medical attention, officials confirmed.
FBI Special Agent Joel Siskovic said the FBI, who assisted ICE in the search for the suspect, is investigating a potential assault on a federal officer.
As of Friday morning, the man was not under arrest, Siskovic confirmed, deferring all additional questions to ICE.
An ICE spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment Friday morning.
Free would not specifically comment on the incident Thursday night.
Although Metro Nashville police responded to the shooting scene, they are not investigating the incident.
Metro police spokeswoman Kris Mumford said the department knew of no outstanding criminal warrants against the man.
But Cox said the man has an arrest history. Exact details about the crimes were not immediately available Friday morning.
Nashville-based organization Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition released a statement Friday after the man was released from the hospital.
“ICE was trying to separate a man from his family yesterday, but they could have killed him. We are relieved that the day ended without further violence and that the man was able to receive life-saving medical care,” said Mary Kathryn Harcombe, TIRRC Legal Director.
“Nashville residents are painfully aware of the danger that ICE presents to their lives and their families. It is urgent that our city agencies do everything in their power to draw a bright line between the critical services and resources they provide and the work of ICE agents. Entanglement between our local government and federal immigration agents erodes trust in our community and makes all of us less safe,” she said.
Reach Natalie Neysa Alund at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
Published 6:54 PM EDT Sep 6, 2019
