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Family and friends rally 1 year after man was fatally shot during ICE confrontation

Protesters gathered for a rally outside the U.S. immigration building in Manhattan a year after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a man during a confrontation in Gravesend

News 12 Staff

Feb 6, 2021, 10:48 PM

Updated 1,403 days ago

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Protesters gathered Saturday for a rally outside the U.S. immigration building in Manhattan a year after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a man during a confrontation in Gravesend.
Family and friends of Erick Diaz Cruz gathered at Foley Square Saturday and called for ICE to be abolished a year after agents attempted to arrest Gasper Avendado Hernandez.
Back in February 2020, ICE told News 12 that a fugitive operations team discharged at least one firearm when they were physically attacked while attempting to arrest Hernandez.
Protesters say the incident should have never happened and are marching to the Brooklyn regional office of the state attorney general to demand that the ICE agent who fired his gun be held accountable for the incident.
They're also calling for the family to be compensated. “Fire him, strike him of his badge, compensate the family that was attacked, and maybe look to see how this situation can’t happen again,” one resident says.
Cruz’s mother says he is still recovering from that shooting, after losing eyesight in one eye, and must undergo more surgeries.
“It's very simple. We just want justice, and we hope that this march will help us deliver justice," she said.
News 12 reached out to the offices for the Department of Justice, the state attorney general, and ICE for comment.