FRESNO, Calif. – An off-duty immigration agent working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was shot by a Fresno homeowner early Friday morning as immigration agents carry out raids across the San Joaquin Valley.
The shooting happened shortly after 3 a.m. in the city’s Tower District neighborhood.
The Fresno Police Department said in a statement that the off-duty agent, 32-year-old David Gonzalez of Texas, was found with a gunshot wound and in handcuffs outside the home.
An early investigation determined the incident began when the 72-year-old homeowner and his daughter found Gonzalez sleeping on their front yard.
When the two residents tried to awaken Gonzalez and get him to leave, police say he physically assaulted both of them.
“When Gonzalez was awakened, he appeared intoxicated and agitated,” Fresno police Lt. Brian Pierce said in a statement.
Gonzalez allegedly caused the elderly man “several visible injuries” and attacked his daughter, at which time she “went to the ground.”
That’s when police say the 72-year-old man fired one shot at Gonzalez during the altercation. The injured agent was later placed in handcuffs by an off-duty police officer, who is the boyfriend of the elderly man’s daughter.
Police took Gonzalez to the hospital for his gunshot wound and is facing charges including felony assault, according to the Fresno Police Department.
The elderly man who shot the agent is not facing charges, and was also being evaluated for his injuries.
Councilmember alarmed by incident
Miguel Arias, a Fresno City Councilmember who represents the district where the shooting took place, said he has observed ICE agents in the neighborhood since Monday.
He said city leaders were not given notice that federal agents would arrive in the city from different states, such as Texas and Arizona.
The Tower District neighborhood has a vibrant nightlife with bars and nightclubs. Most businesses close operations by 2 a.m., an hour before the shooting incident occurred.
“This is just the example and the consequence of what occurs when you hire individuals who don't have the character, the moral judgment, or the ability to actually do the job of law enforcement,” Arias said in an interview with KVPR. “This is exactly what you should expect, which is a bunch of irresponsible individuals who, instead of keeping our city safe, are terrorizing the city during the day, and at night are putting the lives of our residents at risk with their inability to behave appropriately.”
Arias said a “standoff” occurred at Community Regional Medical Center between federal and city officials over the agent’s jurisdiction. Neither ICE nor Fresno PD responded to questions about the alleged incident before publication.
