Immigrant Calls 911 After Hearing Gunshots and Ends Up Arrested by ICE
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
HOUSTON, Texas – A man who called 911 after hearing gunshots outside a Home Depot in southwest Houston ended up being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while cooperating with the police investigation. The detained man was identified by ICE as Juan Francisco Monroy Turuy, a 54-year-old citizen of Guatemala. According to the federal agency, he remains in custody at an immigration processing center in Montgomery County. The incident began around 9:35 a.m. on Sunday, August 9, at 10003 Bellaire Blvd., according to information provided by the Houston Police Department (HPD). HPD reported that officers responded to a call about a suspicious person with a weapon. Upon arrival, they spoke with the man who made the report, who indicated that a suspect had fired several times in the parking lot. The suspect was identified as 24-year-old David Mendez. During the investigation, Monroy, who had made the 911 call, was detained by federal immigration agents. HPD stated that their officers did not contact federal agents and only observed them at the scene. In a new statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicated that ICE was already in the process of detaining Monroy when HPD agents arrived and informed them that he was a witness to a crime. According to DHS, Monroy was able to give a statement to the police and identify the suspect before being taken into ICE custody. DHS confirmed that Monroy was in the United States without authorization and had previously been convicted of a crime that, according to the agency, posed a threat to public safety. The statement did not specify what that crime was. Monroy will remain in custody as his immigration proceedings continue and will have the right to due process, according to DHS.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
