Two people shot by Border Patrol agent in Portland, police say
Two people were wounded Thursday in a shooting by a Border Patrol agent in Portland, Oregon, police said, in what federal officials have called an act of self-defense during a targeted vehicle stop.
The shooting comes one day after Renee Nicole Good, 37, a U.S. citizen and mother, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis while she was in her car.
Police had responded to a reported shooting shortly after 2:15 p.m. in the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street, Portland police said in a news release.
A few minutes later, officers received a report that a man who had been shot was “calling and requesting help” near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside Street, about three miles from the first scene. There, officers found a male and a female with apparent gunshot wounds.
Officers applied a tourniquet, and the two were transported to a hospital. “Their conditions are unknown,” police said.
Police said officers “determined the two people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents.”
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop at 2:19 p.m. local time.
The target was a passenger in the vehicle, described as a Venezuelan “illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring” who was involved in a recent shooting Portland, McLaughlin said in a statement.
She said the driver was believed to be a member of the Tren de Aragua gang.
When agents identified themselves to the vehicle, the driver allegedly “weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” McLaughlin said.
“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving and more information is forthcoming,” she said.
The agents had stopped a red Toyota, and when the driver tried to flee, the car struck an agent, prompting an agent to fire at the vehicle, two law enforcement sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
The people in the vehicle were described as a 33-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, the sources said.
In the Minneapolis shooting, the Department of Homeland Security also said Good “weaponized” her vehicle.
In that shooting, the Department of Homeland Security also said the officer’s actions were in self-defense. Homeland Security claimed Good was trying to run over the law enforcement officers. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey disputed that as “bulls—,” and witnesses described seeing Good trying to flee when she was shot.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said in a statement: “We are still in the early stages of this incident. We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”
The FBI is leading the investigation, police said.
The FBI Portland office said it is investigating “an assault on federal officers” involving two Customs and Border Protection agents. The agency said two people who “fled the scene immediately following the shooting” are being treated for their injuries.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson condemned the shooting, which occurred in Hazelwood, a large and diverse neighborhood in east Portland. He called for ICE to end operations in the city until a full investigation is conducted.
“I call on every Portlander to represent our values and to show up with calm and purpose during this difficult time. Portland does not respond to violence with violence. We respond with clarity, unity, and a commitment to justice,” he said in a statement.
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners also decried the shooting, saying: “What we can say now is enough is enough. The terror and violence ICE is causing in our neighborhoods must end now.”
Todd Miyazawa, Michael Kosnar, Andrew Blankstein and Jonathan Dienst contributed.
