Chicago activists call for transparency in ICE shooting

CHICAGO — Chicago activists and residents called for more transparency Tuesday as officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigate an agent-involved shooting that left a man wounded and raised questions about the use of force.

Federal authorities and an attorney for the hospitalized man offered conflicting accounts of Monday’s shooting, which occurred at a Chicago home as ICE officers were serving an arrest warrant. ICE asserts an agent fired after someone pointed a gun at arresting agents, while the wounded man’s attorney said his client was unarmed and shot after he opened the door.

The uncertainty fueled concerns by aldermen, immigrant rights advocates and residents in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood northwest of downtown, who scrutinized why a gun was used by ICE.

A January report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General shows ICE officers used force 95 times in the fiscal year ending in 2015. Six of those incidents were classified as “lethal,” meaning they involved techniques such as discharging a firearm or striking someone in the neck. The report doesn’t specify further.

ICE officials said they don’t track officer-involved shootings.