CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker called for transparency after a federal immigration agent fatally shot a man in northwest suburban Franklin Park after the agency reported the man tried to flee a traffic stop and struck the officer with his vehicle.

The man who was killed was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, 38. DHS said in a written statement that Villegas-Gonzalez is a citizen of Mexico and was in the U.S. illegally, though further details were not provided.

Pritzker on Friday afternoon said in a social media post he was “aware of the troubling incident that has unfolded in Franklin Park,” without providing further details.

“This is a developing situation and the people of Illinois deserve a full, factual accounting of what’s happened today to ensure transparency and accountability,” Pritzker said.

According to DHS, officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a vehicle stop Friday morning to arrest Villegas-Gonzalez, who has a record of reckless driving offenses.

Villegas-Gonzalez “refused to follow law enforcements commands and drove his car” at officers, striking one of the ICE agents and dragging him “a significant distance,” the DHS statement said. “Fearing for his life, the officer discharged his firearm and struck the subject.”

Both the agents and Villegas-Gonzalez were taken to a nearby hospital, where Villegas-Gonzalez was pronounced dead, authorities said. The officer sustained “severe injuries,” but his condition was later stabilized, the statement said.

“We are praying for the speedy recovery of our law enforcement officer. He followed his training, used appropriate force, and properly enforced the law to protect the public and law enforcement,” DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said. “Viral social media videos and activists encouraging illegal aliens to resist law enforcement not only spread misinformation, but also undermine public safety, as well as the safety of our officers and those being apprehended.”

Social media reports showed parts of Grand Avenue closed in the suburb.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed it had been notified of the death, but was withholding further information Friday afternoon pending notification of kin.

Franklin Park police referred questions about the incident to federal authorities.

The FBI confirmed that agents were at the scene assisting law enforcement in the investigation. “There is no threat to public safety or further information available at this time,” the FBI said in a statement.

Records show that a man whose name and age matches Villegas-Gonzalez has received a number of traffic tickets in Cook County, but an initial search revealed no criminal incidents locally.

A large law enforcement presence remained at the scene Friday afternoon at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Elder Lane, which is largely residential but is also near an animal hospital, a nail shop and a high school.

Neighbor Ozzy Lopez, 36, told the Tribune he didn’t see the car crash from his home near the shooting, but watched as cops rushed to the scene and gathered in a circle, presumably to escort the suspect away. Federal agents quickly arrived as well, he said.

“At first it was a little exciting like oh something is going on, but now it’s just kind of sad,” he said. “Like it turns into this — someone has to lose their life. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on. It just seems like there could have been a way to maybe prevent two people ruining their lives.”

Lopez said he has no idea who the suspect might have been. He said the neighborhood is typically “nice and quiet, nice and quaint.” Other neighbors, who declined to provide their names, said they heard gunshots before the arrest.

The fatal shooting occurred just days after President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security announced it was beginning a surge of immigration law enforcement in Chicago, dubbing it “Operation Midway Blitz” and claiming it would target “criminal illegal aliens” who have taken advantage of the city and state’s sanctuary policies.

The announcement marked the first official word from the Trump administration about increased immigration enforcement after Trump vacillated between vows of “going in” to Chicago with the potential deployment of National Guard troops to fight overall crime, to a stepped-up immigration enforcement role by ICE agents.

The ramped-up immigration enforcement actions also come less than a week after the president posted a meme last Saturday morning depicting military helicopters flying over the city’s lakefront skyline using the title “Chipocalypse Now.”

“I love the smell of deportations in the morning…” Trump posted on his Truth Social account, altering the famous phrase from the 1979 movie “Apocalypse Now,” about the smell of “Napalm.” In the post, Trump was depicted in U.S. Army fatigues and sunglasses and wearing a Stetson U.S. Cavalry hat like the lieutenant colonel portrayed in the movie by actor Robert Duvall.

Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson have for weeks protested Trump’s claims that he would send in the National Guard and also cautioned residents to prepare for potential immigration sweeps. On Friday, Trump announced he was sending Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee instead.

The actions have stirred emotions throughout the Chicagoland area as protests have occurred nearly daily outside an ICE facility in west suburban Broadview.

On Friday morning, a confrontation between protesters and agents at an ICE facility grew tense and led to pushing and shoving.

—Tribune reporter Caroline Kubzansky contributed to this story

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