The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reported that a previously deported undocumented immigrant is accused of causing the death of a 61-year-old man this September.

According to DHS, Wilmer Fuentes Mejia is suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of Richard Ferguson Jr., 61, in Durham, North Carolina, on September 13. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued an immigration detainer for Mejia.

The department revealed that Mejia initially entered the United States without proper authorization in 2015 and was released into the community during the Obama administration.

In December 2019, an immigration judge ordered Mejia’s removal, and ICE deported him in 2020 during the first term of the Trump administration. However, officials indicate that he unlawfully re-entered the country at a later time. Mejia is a native of Guatemala.

Local authorities allege that Wilmer Fuentes Mejia was involved in a hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a 61-year-old man. (Source: DHS)

Mejia has a criminal history that includes prior arrests for assault and driving under the influence.

“Wilmer Fuentes Mejia is a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala who has a history of driving while intoxicated and was previously deported by ICE in 2020. A local DA allowed him to walk free after multiple DUIs only to then cause this fatal hit-and-run that killed an innocent 61-year-old man in North Carolina,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Richard Ferguson Jr. will get justice. ICE lodged a detainer for this criminal to ensure this menace and public safety threat isn’t released back onto America’s streets.”

According to WRAL, Ferguson Jr. was killed after Mejia allegedly drove off the road and hit two signs before hitting the 61-year-old.

Richard Ferguson Jr. was killed in a hit-and-run crash. (DHS)

The victim’s brother, Reginald Ferguson, said his late relative helped him through a drug addiction.

Wilmer Fuentes Mejia caused the fatal crash in Durham, North Carolina. (Cornell Watson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“There was a time twenty some-odd years ago where I was going through some rough things, a drug addiction, and my brother helped see me through that,” Ferguson said. “Never once gave up on me, one time…He didn’t deserve to get killed and leave this earth.”

At the time of the September incident, Mejia had an arrest warrant for a 2020 DWI when he didn’t show up to court, according to the report.