U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents shot and wounded two people in SE Portland shortly after 2 pm, Thursday, Jan. 8, according to Portland Police Bureau officers who responded to the scene.
The shooting happened in the parking lot of a medical center near the 1000 block of SE Main St. The two people then drove to an apartment complex at NE 146th Ave. and East Burnside where Portland police officers found them, administered first aid and arranged for their transportation to a hospital for treatment.
of Oregon Capital Chronicle.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on social media saying that its agents acted in self-defense when the driver of a vehicle they had pulled over tried to run them over. The statement said the passenger in the vehicle was from Venezuela and illegally in the United States and allegedly affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring.
“When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,” DHS said.
Portland police said their officers were called to 102nd and SE Main St. at about 2:20 pm, where they confirmed federal agents were involved in a shooting. The police said they were not involved in the shooting, KGW-TV reported.
News of the shooting interrupted a Portland City Council meeting where councilors were voting on their next President and Vice President. Current Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney, who represents the District 2, said during the meeting that the two shooting victims were still alive. The council postponed the next vote until Jan. 14.
The shooting happened just one day after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman in an SUV during a confrontation in Minneapolis. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson decried both shootings and called on federal immigration officials “to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.”
Wilson spoke over the phone with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey yesterday to share response strategies. “Just one day after the horrific violence in Minnesota at the hands of federal agents, our community here in Portland is now grappling with another deeply troubling incident,” Wilson said.
“We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences.”
Wilson, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, Pirtle-Guiney and other community leaders held a joint press conference late Thursday denouncing the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, the shootings in Portland and Minneapolis, and urged the public to remain peaceful and united.
First District Councilor Loretta Smith, Portland Police Chief Bob Day, Latino Network Executive Director Tony DeFalco and Pastor J.W. Matt Hennessee also participated in the statement.
“ICE is shattering families and harming our communities,” Kotek said.
“The Trump Administration is trying to divide us. We stand with all of our communities,” Wilson said.
Councilor Sameer Kanal, who previously introduced an ordinance prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks and requiring them to wear identification, denounced the shooting and said ICE should be disbanded during several TV interviews. Kanal and Pirtle-Guiney represent N/NE Portland’s District 2.
Fellow N/NE Portland councilor Dan Ryan responded saying, “The presence of federal agents in our neighborhoods is causing fear and harm. I support the Mayor and Governor in their demands for accountability and transparency from the federal government,” he said.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available.