A tragic incident unfolded in Morehead, Kentucky, when a 15-year-old boy was allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant while trying to protect his mother from sexual assault. The accused, 36-year-old Gildardo Amandor-Martinez, a Mexican national, reportedly shot the teenager, Luis Lopez, in the early hours of July 20, after the boy tried to intervene in the assault.
According to authorities, Amandor-Martinez had returned from a bar around 2:30 a.m. and allegedly attempted to sexually assault his girlfriend in their apartment. The woman’s screams alerted her son, who rushed into the room to help. The boy asked his mother if he should call the police, but was told by Amandor-Martinez to leave the room.
Court documents reveal that after the boy left the room, Amandor-Martinez allegedly retrieved a firearm and fired three shots through a closed door, hitting both Luis and his younger sister. Luis, who was shot in the face, was pronounced dead at the scene, while his sister was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Amandor-Martinez was subsequently arrested and faces multiple charges, including rape, resisting arrest, and assault. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a detainer for Amandor-Martinez, which requires local law enforcement to keep him in custody until he can be transferred to federal authorities.
Federal officials confirmed that Amandor-Martinez was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the incident. He had reportedly attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally three times in 2021, eventually succeeding at an unspecified date and location.
The incident has sparked criticism of the current administration’s immigration policies. Critics argue that lax border control allowed Amandor-Martinez to enter the country and commit these heinous crimes. ICE has assured that the detainer will prevent Amandor-Martinez from being released back into the community.