An ICE officer fired his weapon “fearing for public safety” as the victim of Monday’s fatal shooting, in a vehicle, “attempted to flee the scene,” the Department of Homeland Security said in its first official statement nearly 12 hours after the incident in Maine.

The department did not share details on why the officer believed the man was a public safety risk.

The man was not the target of the immigration enforcement operation, according to the office of Maine Sen. Angus King, citing a conversation with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.