Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, 36, was shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcemen t officers in Patterson on Tuesday morning.

In the days since the shooting, a vast amount of information has been cast across multiple platforms as everyone from law enforcement and elected officials to community members and organizations tries to piece together what happened and why. Here’s what we do and don’t know, as of Friday.

The shooting

Mendoza Hernandez left his home in Patterson at about 6:15 a.m. to go to work in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to his fiancée and his attorney. Shortly after he left, ICE officers pulled him over on a bridge that leads to the Sperry Avenue entrance of Interstate 5.

What isn’t certain is how long Mendoza Hernandez was pulled over before the shooting, or what happened during that period. Shots were fired at about 6:30 a.m., according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office.

Dashcam footage of the shooting shows three vehicles parked behind, and one vehicle parked in front of, the car Mendoza Hernandez was driving. Moments before the shooting, two officers are at the driver’s side window, and one appears to reach in. Another officer is on the passenger side.

The main narratives of the shooting contradict each other. In a statement, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said Mendoza Hernandez “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over.” Patrick Kolasinski, a Modesto-based immigration attorney representing Hernandez and his family, denied this, saying Mendoza Hernandez “took great pains to not hit the officers while they were shooting at him.”

ICE maintains its officers fired “defensive shots.” Kolasinski said his client was trying to flee but ICE officers shot him even before he tried to do so. There is no audio in the dashcam video, making it difficult to tell when the first shot was fired.

ICE has not stated how many shots were fired, nor have they disclosed the names of the officers who pulled Mendoza Hernandez over or who fired the shots.

Mendoza Hernandez was shot at least six times in the face and arm, Kolasinski said Thursday. He was taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto after the shooting, where he remains in “stable condition” in the intensive care unit.

More news came out Friday when a driver at the Sperry Avenue scene said through her attorney that she heard a gunshot before Mendoza Hernandez moved his vehicle. Also Friday morning, Mendoza Hernandez said through his own attorney that he was stripped naked and held on the roadside by ICE as he awaited emergency medical treatment.

Who is Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez?

Kolasinski and Mendoza Hernandez’s fiancée, a U.S. citizen identified publicly only as Cindy, described him as a hard-working father who emigrated from El Salvador within the last three years. ICE said Mendoza Hernandez is an 18th Street Gang member wanted for questioning in El Salvador as part of a murder investigation.

Kolasinski denied his client had any ties with any gang. In 2019, Mendoza Hernandez was tried for murder in El Salvador but was acquitted, according to documents provided by the Salvadoran government. Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor ICE has provided documentation showing Mendoza Hernandez is wanted for any crime anywhere.

Mendoza Hernandez’s fiancée and Kolasinski were not allowed to speak with him until Wednesday night. Kolasinski said his client was trying to call Cindy after agents ordered him to get out of the vehicle and he refused. That is when he was shot, Kolasinski said.

Community reaction includes protest arrests

Two people were arrested the night of the shooting during a protest outside DMC. Shortly before 10 p.m., the two allegedly used white paint to write “ICE out” on the roadway. The Modesto Police Department accused Bernadette Gamez, 36, of Modesto and Wendy Villagran, 22, of Stockton of vandalism.

The protest, described as largely peaceful, has been the only one of note since Tuesday’s shooting.

Local leaders and community organizations mostly condemned the shooting. On Thursday, multiple elected officials signed a joint statement saying they “stand in support of lawful due process for (Mendoza Hernandez)” and “stand committed to those affected by this situation.”

It reads in part, “We reiterate that all Stanislaus County cities are home to a large percentage of Latino residents, who are experiencing fear and anxiety after Tuesday’s tragic situation. ... We acknowledge that the continued presence of ICE and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) continues to impact many families. This affects not just undocumented individuals, but the entire community.”

The statement went on to say that local leaders are taking “a collaborative approach” in an effort to address misinformation. The group stated it is in “constant communication” with Kolasinski, the Sheriff’s Office, other elected officials and local organizations.

The statement was signed by Stanislaus County Supervisors Mani Grewal and Channce Condit; Modesto City Council members Chris Ricci and Eric Alvarez; Patterson Mayor Pro Tem Carlos Roque, City Council members Jessica Romero, Gabriela Hernandez and Kendra Mora; and several others.

Condit, who represents Patterson, said, “As local officials, we have a responsibility to our community to demand accountability and ensure that the facts are clearly established and shared with the public.”

Patterson community leaders and advocates planned to hold a press conference on Friday at 6 p.m. at North Park.

Michael Masuda, a Democratic candidate hoping to unseat Tom McClintock in the 5th Congressional District, said that he was “horrified to see one of our neighbors gunned down by ICE agents in unmarked vehicles” and that “our community is terrified, angry, hurt, and we have lost trust in our federal government.”

The Central Valley Black Indigenous People of Color Coalition condemned what it called “reckless and violent actions” by ICE, which CVBIPOCC accused of purporting a “false and racist narrative” about Mendoza Hernandez.

José R. Rodriguez, President and CEO of El Concilio California, which provides immigration legal services, said the organization is “opposed to this level of force being used by ICE.”

Who is investigating the Patterson shooting?

As of Friday, Mendoza Hernandez was not under arrest or in any type of law enforcement custody as he receives medical treatment, his attorney said.

In the past six months, ICE arrested 18 people in Stanislaus County. This brings the total number since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration to 36. All arrests occurred at the Stanislaus County jail or the Sheriff’s Office.

ICE and local law enforcement agencies appear to be withdrawing from the situation. The federal agency’s narrative of the shooting was released before dashcam footage circulated online and in news media reporting.

News media inquiries to ICE and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office are being redirected to the FBI, which is leading the investigation. On Thursday, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Erich Layton said there are “no specific plans for any updates” from his department.

Agents with the FBI’s Evidence Response Team were at the scene Tuesday after the shooting. Agents were seen taking photos and collecting evidence. Special Agent in Charge Eugene Wu told reporters the FBI’s Sacramento office is conducting a “thorough, methodical” investigation and asked the public to send it video or other information.

Kolasinski said he had no access to his client for more than 24 hours after the shooting. However, after coordinating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was able to see and speak with Mendoza Hernandez.

It’s unclear if the FBI or ICE had any contact with Mendoza Hernandez after he was admitted to the hospital but before his attorney could speak with him.

After ICE officers shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier this year, California leaders condemned the agency’s actions and its refusal to let local law enforcement investigate the shootings. Several were interested in creating policy to avoid local agencies getting pushed out of an investigation if a shooting happened in California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta published guidance stating local law enforcement agencies had “concurrent jurisdiction to investigate potential state law crimes committed by federal agents.” They also stated that California’s Department of Justice was ready to support local and state agencies to enforce their ability to do so.

But that has yet to happen.

Initially, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Veronica Esquivez told The Sacramento Bee her department didn’t have any contact with the California DOJ. However, both agencies contacted The Bee on Thursday to correct that information, stating the DOJ “has been in contact with both the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI since the early hours after the incident” and that communication is “continuing to occur.”

Layton would not confirm or deny that the Sheriff’s Office has any role in the FBI investigation. In an email to The Modesto Bee, the FBI said it did not have a deputy shadowing its investigation. It also stated it did not direct the Sheriff’s Office on whether or not it could open its own, independent investigation.

Questions remaining

Mendoza Hernandez’s fiancée said she believes ICE targeted the Salvadoran national after a traffic stop in Turlock. The Bee has not been able to confirm this. However, the Turlock Police Department confirmed two officers pulled over Mendoza Hernandez for a vehicle code violation at 6:30 p.m. April 3.

The vehicle is registered in her name, Mendoza Hernandez’s fiancée said, so it took a while to find him in the system. TPD had not responded to a request for comment asked by The Bee as of Friday morning.

Body camera footage of the officers that shot Mendoza Hernandez has not been released. As of Friday, the FBI had not given an update on its investigation.

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Update: Modesto homicide victims ID’d. Suspect may have lived with them, MPD says

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