Man shot by ICE in California was acquitted in El Salvador murder, lawyer says
Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, the man shot by ICE in Central California on Tuesday when he allegedly weaponized his SUV while attempting to flee, was acquitted of homicide in El Salvador, his attorney said.
Documents by the Salvadorian government confirm he was accused of aggravated homicide against a man named Christopher Alexander Melgar Duran and was acquitted in 2019.
Immigration lawyer Patrick Kolasinski, who’s representing Patterson, California, resident Hernandez and his family, held a news conference at his Modesto office Wednesday morning.
The attorney said neither he nor Hernandez’s fiancee — who joined Kolasinski at the conference and was identified only as Cindy — has been allowed to talk with the man. Hernandez was taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto on Tuesday for treatment, and the only report given on his condition is that he’s “stable.”
Cindy said she wasn’t aware Hernandez was at Doctors Medical Center until around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and has not been able to see him. She said their daughter couldn’t sleep last night because she was waiting for her father to come home. “She was asking, ‘Daddy,’ for her dad, looking around the room,” Cindy said. “She went to sleep around 1 a.m.”
Kolasinski said he’s not even sure his client remains at DMC. His fiancee said she was told by staff Wednesday morning that there is no patient by that name being treated in the hospital. “We don’t know under what condition he is being held” Kolasinski said. “He may be theoretically in productive custody as a victim of a violent shooting, because that is what he is.”
Hernandez is a dual citizen of El Salvador and Mexico, the attorney said. Cindy is a U.S. citizen, as is their 2-year-old daughter, he said.
The Patterson man was pulled over by Turlock police on Friday for a cracked windshield, Cindy said. The vehicle is registered in her name, so it took a while to find Hernandez in the system, she said.
Cindy speculates that the police department provided ICE with Hernandez’s immigration status. The Modesto Bee has not been able to confirm that. Cindy said her fiance has been scared about encountering ICE. Details about his legal status have not been provided.
He left home at about 6:15 Tuesday morning and was stopped by ICE minutes later.
This story was originally published April 8, 2026 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Man shot by ICE in California was acquitted in El Salvador murder, lawyer says."