Mexican Man Got Shot in the Face by ICE Officer
Reuters

A Mexican man is filing a lawsuit against an unnamed United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer from New York.

According to an article from The Guardian, the lawsuit will be filed after the Mexican man was gunned in the face by the ICE officer on Thursday. Also, the man sustained several other injuries, including a bullet stuck on his neck.

Cruz, who is 26 years old was on vacation in New York with his girlfriend. He was on a tourist visa in the United States. On January 25, Cruz arrived in New York. He was intending to stay in the United States for two weeks.

Contents of the Lawsuit Filed

On Wednesday, the man filed a 10-page case with the United States District Court in the Eastern District of New York.

According to the complaint, there was a minimum of three ICE agents who were arguing with Avendano-Hernandez. It was said that they exchanged words in the center of the street when he was tased and handcuffed by the officers.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fired the gun at Cruz was unnamed in the lawsuit filed. Cruz was not able to identify the man so he named his attacker as 'John Doe 1.'

The victim, Erick Diaz Cruz, told the story of the incident. He said that he was sleeping in his mother's home in Gravesend, Brooklyn on February 6. He then awakened after hearing a shout and a bang on the front door. After going outside, Cruz said that he noticed his mother's partner getting into an argument with agents from ICE.

Cruz included in his statement that he was standing a few steps away from the ICE officials. Suddenly, one of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, a Latino man, had pulled a gun from his hip and aimed at his face. The Latino who shot Cruz was dressed in black and was estimated to be 5'9" in height.

An article from Fox News stated that Cruz added to the statement that he had held up his left hand to block the attack. However, the bullet passed through his hand and injured a part of his left cheek. The bullet also passed through his ear.

The incident caused him to acquire multiple injuries to his face and hands. Also, the bullet had remained stuck in his neck. According to the complainant, his face was filled with the "snaking set of wounds."

A Statement from Cruz's Lawyer

According to the lawyer who represented Cruz, it was hurtful and sickening to have someone like Erick being unjustifiably and senselessly attacked by an ICE officer. The lawyer described Cruz as a law-abiding and hard-working young man. The lawyer said that he was shot during the day while he was with his family.

The sad thing about the incident was that he was shot by an agent of the government of the United States of America. The lawyer also said that during the act of the ICE officer, Cruz was not a threat to anyone. The lawyer also said that Cruz and his family were traumatized by the event.