Woman finds an off-duty ICE agent asleep on her lawn at 3 AM. He allegedly attacks her 72-year-old father, who fires one shot and won’t be charged

An off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent from Texas was shot and arrested early Friday morning after allegedly attacking a 72-year-old homeowner and his daughter in Fresno, California. The incident has drawn sharp criticism from local officials, particularly over reports of what happened after the wounded agent was taken to the hospital.

According to ABC, the altercation began shortly after 3 a.m. near East Dudley Avenue and North Broadway Street in Fresno’s Tower District. A woman returning home found a man, later identified as 32-year-old ICE agent David Gonzalez, asleep on her front lawn.

She woke her 72-year-old father, who went outside to tell Gonzalez to leave. Police said the agent appeared heavily intoxicated and became agitated when he was awakened. He allegedly attacked the homeowner, forcing him to the ground and leaving him with visible injuries.

The confrontation spilled across the street

The daughter tried to intervene, but Gonzalez allegedly went after her too. The fight moved across the street, where he reportedly threw her into a neighbor’s parked car, denting the vehicle.

The father eventually retrieved a firearm and fired one shot, hitting Gonzalez in the midsection. The daughter’s boyfriend, an off-duty police officer, arrived shortly afterward and handcuffed the wounded agent before patrol officers got there.

Gonzalez was taken to a local hospital for surgery and was listed in serious condition. Fresno police confirmed that he faces felony charges, including battery likely to cause great bodily injury, battery, and felony vandalism. The 72-year-old homeowner will not face criminal charges. Police said he legally possessed the firearm and acted in lawful self-defense.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment, referring questions to local authorities. But the response from other ICE agents who arrived at the hospital has become a point of contention.

According to an investigation by GV Wire, Fresno police had to push back against fellow ICE agents who allegedly tried to take custody of Gonzalez, with the report claiming they wanted to “lose him in the system.” Fresno Police Chief Mindy Castow later denied that there had been a formal confrontation. She did confirm that her department was coordinating with ICE over an internal personnel investigation.

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias criticized the agency over the incident, saying ICE agents assigned to a 45-day enforcement operation had been drinking at Tower District bars before the alleged assault.

“The presence of ICE officers out drinking in the very neighborhoods where residents have been subjected to fear and intimidation was a recipe for disaster,” Arias said.

Questions arose about ICE’s legal limits

Council President Nelson Esparza also questioned whether ICE was operating within its legal limits. Arias has called on ICE to suspend its ongoing operations in the Central Valley.

By Saturday afternoon, demonstrators had gathered outside River Park in northeast Fresno to protest federal immigration tactics and call for greater protection of human rights.

Gonzalez’s criminal case and ICE’s internal personnel investigation are ongoing.