ICE firearm discharge in Roxbury now under state review as officials seek video and residents question federal account
A firearm discharge during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Roxbury Township on Feb. 10 is now under independent review by New Jersey’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, with state officials asking the public to share any video as residents press for more transparency about what happened.
According to Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, an ICE officer fired a weapon during a Tuesday morning enforcement operation in Roxbury. No injuries were reported, and the target of the operation, identified by federal officials as Jesus Fabian Lopez-Banegas, was taken into ICE custody, according to multiple reports cited in the original account. The central public dispute is not whether a gun was fired, but what happened in the moments immediately before the shot.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said agents were carrying out a “targeted” arrest when Lopez-Banegas allegedly tried to evade capture, rammed a law enforcement vehicle, and used his car in an attempt to run over an officer. Federal officials said an officer then fired at the vehicle’s tires to stop the threat. In the DHS version of events, the officer acted defensively and in line with training. DHS has also described Lopez-Banegas as a Honduran national with a prior removal order and a criminal history that includes drug trafficking charges, drug possession, and driving under the influence. The agency said a judge ordered his removal in 2021.
But video clips circulating publicly and referenced by multiple outlets do not appear to show the full sequence DHS described, including the specific moment when the vehicle was allegedly used to try to run over an officer. That gap has become central to how residents are interpreting the incident and to why state officials are asking witnesses to come forward with additional footage. Reports from Morristown Green, Patch, and NJ101.5 all pointed to partial public video, while also raising questions about where exactly the confrontation unfolded and whether the available clips capture the key seconds before the gunfire.
Davenport said local law enforcement secured the scene with the cooperation of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, and that OPIA is conducting an independent investigation. She asked anyone with video or relevant information to contact the office at 1-844-OPIA-TIP (1-844-674-2847). In New Jersey, state involvement is standard when a law enforcement officer fires a weapon. In this case, however, the investigation carries an added layer of public attention because the shooter was a federal officer operating in a local Morris County community.
The incident quickly became part of a broader local debate about ICE activity and accountability in Morris County. At a public meeting Tuesday night, residents spoke out against ICE and urged a full investigation. One resident, Sharon Medina, said, “I was born here, but I’m still nervous. It does not go by me every day to think that I could be stopped.” Another resident, Diana May, referenced the video circulating earlier that day and said she no longer trusted official explanations because of what she sees as a pattern in other recent high-profile enforcement incidents.
The Roxbury case is unfolding in an already tense environment. The township has been at the center of public debate over reports that the Trump administration may be considering an industrial warehouse on Route 46 for use as an ICE detention or processing facility. That backdrop helps explain why this use-of-force incident, even without reported injuries, has become a flashpoint for residents and local officials. For many in the community, the concern is not limited to one arrest. It is also about what a larger federal immigration presence could mean for a town already confronting the possibility of expanded detention operations nearby.
As of Wednesday, Feb. 11, several key questions remained unresolved in public reporting: what exactly happened in the seconds before the gun was fired, how many shots were fired and from what position, and whether additional video exists that captures the full encounter. For now, the clearest points across public accounts are that an ICE officer discharged a firearm during a Roxbury operation on Feb. 10, no injuries were reported, the target of the operation was arrested, and New Jersey has opened an independent investigation while urging the public to submit footage.