FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant is accused of killing a 62-year-old man in North Carolina in a fatal hit-and-run, Fox News Digital has learned.
According to the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer has been lodged against 25-year-old Ernesto Lopez-Gomez.
Lopez is a Mexican national who was apprehended by Border Patrol after entering the U.S. illegally near Tucson, Arizona on March 1, 2024, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He was later released from custody under the Biden administration.
Lopez was charged with felony hit-and-run resulting in death and is being held on a $2,000,000 secured bond for the alleged crime.
In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Department of Homeland Security acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said the suspect “should have NEVER been in our country and able to kill Christopher Babcock.”
“The Biden administration’s catch-and-release policies let this criminal into our community, and now a widow is mourning the loss of her husband,” Bis said. “This is the second hit-in-run by an illegal alien just this week. These preventable tragedies are the result of the previous administration’s open border policies.”
According to the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, on March 11, around 7:45 p.m., Christopher Babcock, 62, was riding a motorcycle toward Greenville, North Carolina, when a vehicle turned left in front of him, causing a collision.
The driver, later identified as Lopez-Gomez, allegedly fled after the crash. Babcock later died from his injuries.
The collision occurred on U.S. Route 13 at U.S. Route 264 Alternate near Moye Turnage Road, southeast of Farmville, according to police.
In his obituary, Babcock was remembered for living a life “defined by kindness, humor, and generosity.”
“He never hesitated to help someone in need and had a contagious laugh that could brighten any room,” the obituary said. “Chris had a sarcastic sense of humor and a warm heart, and he deeply loved his family and his dogs.”
Babcock leaves behind his wife, two stepchildren and a sister, according to his obituary.
Fox News’ Leah Crawley and Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
