On February 19, 2020, ECBAWM filed suit on behalf of Erick Diaz Cruz, an unarmed 26-year-old Mexican man, who was shot in the left hand and cheek by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Gravesend, Brooklyn. As detailed in the complaint, the shooting occurred on the morning of Thursday, February 6, 2020, while Mr. Diaz Cruz was on vacation with his girlfriend visiting his mother on a valid tourist visa.

“Along with millions of New Yorkers, we are heartbroken and sickened by ICE’s senseless and unjustified shooting of Erick,” said ECBAWM partner Katie Rosenfeld. “A young, hard-working and law-abiding man was gunned down on the streets of Brooklyn in broad daylight in front of his family, shot in the face at point-blank range, by an agent of the United States government. Erick posed no threat to anyone, at any time. Erick’s face is shattered, and he and his family are traumatized. We are a nation of laws, equality, and justice; Erick’s case demands that we live up to those values.”

“Erick was the victim of a horrific and life-threatening attack,” Scout Katovich, an ECBAWM associate working on the case, added. “We hope this lawsuit will send a message that ICE cannot violate the U.S. Constitution with impunity.”

ECBAWM’s Katherine Rosenfeld and Scout Katovich represent Mr. Diaz Cruz in the suit.

Press Release
“Tourist shot in the face by ICE agent during family friend’s arrest files lawsuit,” ABC News
“NYC man shot in the face during ICE immigration raid sues agency,” New York Daily News