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Guatemalan man detained by ICE after calling 911 to report Home Depot shooting

Aug 14, 2026·Location: Houston, TX

Country of origin: Honduras

Guatemalan man detained by ICE after calling 911 to report Home Depot shooting
Photo via Instagram

Juan Francisco Monroy Turuy, a 54-year-old Guatemalan immigrant who has worked as a restaurant remodeler in the U.S. for more than two decades, called 911 after witnessing a man fire a gun into the air in a Home Depot parking lot on West Sam Houston Parkway South. He stayed at the scene to help identify the suspect, but before Houston police finished interviewing him, ICE agents arrived and detained him over his immigration status. Houston Police Department said it had not contacted or coordinated with ICE, and Home Depot denied cooperating with the agency. He has been held for more than three weeks at the Montgomery ICE Processing Center in Conroe, and his attorney says no one has contacted him about pursuing a U-visa. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said the detention could discourage witnesses from cooperating with police, and advocacy groups including FIEL, PSL, and CRECEN questioned how ICE located him so quickly. Monroy has long sent money home to support his wife, who suffered a stroke, and his three children; his son Wilmer said his father 'risked his own safety to help stop a criminal.'

Timeline

Aug 14, 2026—Instagram post detailed the detention, ICE's justification, and reactions from the Harris County DA and immigrant advocacy groups.
Aug 9, 2026—Houston Chronicle reported Monroy Turuy remained in ICE custody weeks after calling 911 to report a shooting.
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