Off-Duty ICE Agent Found Sleeping on Fresno Lawn Before Alleged Attack and Shooting, Police Say

An off-duty US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was shot and arrested in Fresno, California, after police said he was found sleeping on a woman's front lawn and allegedly assaulted her and her 72-year-old father.

David Gonzalez, 32, is from Texas and works for ICE, according to police. He remained in custody on suspicion of felony assault while receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to his midsection.

Police Say Off-Duty Agent Found on Lawn Before Confrontation

The Fresno Police Department said it received several 999 calls at 3.19am on Friday reporting a gunshot near the intersection of East Dudley Avenue and North Broadway Street. Officers who arrived found Gonzalez handcuffed and wounded.

According to the department's statement, a woman returned home to find Gonzalez sleeping on her front lawn. She told her father, who lives with her, and he went outside to ask him to leave.

When Gonzalez woke, he appeared 'intoxicated and agitated,' according to police. He allegedly assaulted the 72-year-old man, causing several visible injuries.

Police said Gonzalez physically attacked the woman when she tried to intervene, causing her to fall to the ground. The department reported visible injuries to the 72-year-old man; the precise status of the woman's injuries has not been detailed in the available police account.

Homeowner's Father Opens Fire, Off-Duty Officer Makes Arrest

Police said the 72-year-old man, fearing for his safety and his daughter's, fired a single shot at Gonzalez, striking him in the midsection. The department said the man legally possessed the firearm and would not face criminal charges in connection with the incident.

The woman called her boyfriend, an off-duty police officer, who arrived and placed Gonzalez in handcuffs. Fresno officers responding to the 999 calls found the agent restrained and injured at the scene.

The names of the woman and her father have not been released. It was not immediately clear whether Gonzalez was represented by a lawyer.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on Friday evening and directed questions to Fresno Police.

Why the Ice Agent Was in Fresno Still Unclear

Police said Gonzalez was off duty and alone when the incident occurred. They have not established why he was in the area, a question detectives have yet to answer.

'It is unknown at this time why Gonzalez was in the area at the time of the incident, but it has been confirmed he was off-duty and alone at the time of the incident,' the Fresno Police Department said.

Fresno Police said detectives were continuing to investigate and have asked for any additional witnesses or video footage.

Incident Comes Amid Scrutiny of Ice Operations

The shooting came amid heightened concern in Fresno about federal immigration enforcement. Fresnoland reported on Thursday that local watch groups and advocates estimated that about 70 people had been detained in Fresno and Madera that week, citing a preliminary estimate from local legal responders with the Valley Watch Network.

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias addressed the incident in a Facebook post on Friday. He wrote that 'communities deserve safety, dignity, and respect not intimidation, fear, and reckless behavior from federal ICE agents.'

Arias also raised questions about the screening, qualifications, psychological fitness and accountability of ICE officers from outside California deployed in the city.

On Thursday, before the shooting, Arias criticised the timing of the immigration enforcement activity, describing it as 'basic voter suppression and intimidation of the Latino voter base'.

Those are contested political characterisations rather than findings by police or federal investigators. According to the police account, the incident began when a woman found Gonzalez sleeping on her lawn. Police said a confrontation followed, during which Gonzalez allegedly assaulted the woman and her father before the father fired a single shot.

Fresno Police said detectives were continuing to investigate. Whether Gonzalez will face formal charges, and why he was in the neighbourhood, remain unclear.