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<\/p>\nWhen Adrian Metoyer first heard government officials describing his best friend as an \u201cactive shooter\u201d and threat to his community, he was furious. <\/p>\n
Keith \u201cPooter\u201d Porter was a lot of things: a jack of all trades who worked dozens of jobs, a proud \u201cgirl dad\u201d to his two daughters, an avid fisherman, a die-hard San Francisco 49ers fan and a \u201cperformer\u201d who loved to drive a room to laughter with his \u201cgoofy\u201d antics, friends and relatives said. <\/p>\n
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A handout photo of Keith Porter Jr.<\/p>\n
(Courtesy of Project Islamic Hope)<\/p>\n
But, they contend, Porter wasn\u2019t the threat Trump administration officials claimed he was after an off-duty U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed him in Northridge on New Year\u2019s Eve<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThat is far from the truth. I can\u2019t even fathom that idea of him being looked at in a negative light. Calling the officer a hero, before any investigation had been conducted \u2026 this is ridiculous,\u201d Metoyer, 45, said. <\/p>\n In the week that has passed since Porter\u2019s death, his loved ones and community activists have rejected the narrative offered by federal officials to explain his killing, acknowledging he may have been armed but maintaining he was only celebrating the new year \u2014 not trying to shoot anyone. <\/p>\n The use of deadly force by immigration agents was back in the national spotlight on Wednesday, after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis and drew condemnation from the city\u2019s mayor, who called the incident \u201creckless.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n In a statement issued last week, Tricia McLaughlin, chief spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, claimed Porter was suspected to be an \u201cactive shooter,\u201d and said he was killed following an exchange of gunfire with an off-duty ICE agent at the Village Pointe Apartments on Roscoe Boulevard. <\/p>\n McLaughlin said the \u201cbrave officer,\u201d who has not been identified, lived at the apartment complex and was \u201cprotecting his community.\u201d He reported the incident to authorities after it happened, she said. <\/p>\n McLaughlin did not respond to a detailed list of questions from The Times this week. <\/p>\n Community members gather at a vigil organized by Black Lives Matter-LA to pay tribute to Keith \u201cPooter\u201d Porter, killed in a New Year\u2019s Eve shooting by an off-duty ICE officer.<\/p>\n (Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department declined to name Porter or provide any further details, except to confirm that a gun was recovered at the scene.<\/p>\n Early news reports after the incident said that Porter was firing an assault-style rifle. A law enforcement official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss an active case, confirmed that detail to The Times this week.<\/p>\n Porter\u2019s loved ones and advocates said they believe he was ringing in the new year by firing a gun into the air \u2014 an illegal and dangerous L.A. practice that city officials discourage because the falling bullets can hit bystanders.<\/p>\n Firing a gun into the air in the city can bring felony charges, but Jamal Tooson, an attorney for Porter\u2019s family, said at a news conference earlier this week that the ICE agent overreacted.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat should have been an arrest and possible citation has turned into a death sentence and potentially cold-blooded murder from an ICE agent who was not equipped to handle the situation,\u201d Tooson said.<\/p>\n Tooson claimed several people at the apartment complex were firing guns in the air and \u201conly one was murdered.\u201d The shooting happened around 10:40 p.m., according to the LAPD, long before fireworks and gunshots mark midnight around the city on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n Tooson did not dispute that his client was in possession of a rifle. On Wednesday, he said he\u2019d interviewed several witnesses at the scene, including one person who heard someone demanding that Porter \u201cput down the rifle\u201d more than once.<\/p>\n Tooson said that witness then described hearing three shots fired, which ended the conflict. At no point did that person hear anyone identify themselves as law enforcement, according to Tooson.<\/p>\n Tooson said he did not \u201cbelieve there was any exchange of gunfire\u201d between Porter and the agent.<\/p>\n Clarity on how the shooting transpired may not come any time soon. <\/p>\n Community members gather at a vigil organized by Black Lives Matter-LA to pay tribute to Keith \u201cPooter\u201d Porter.<\/p>\n (Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n The Los Angeles County district attorney\u2019s office is reviewing Porter\u2019s killing, though it sometimes takes years for the agency to determine if a deadly use of force constitutes a crime. <\/p>\n Although city policies require the LAPD to identify officers in serious use-of-force cases, there is nothing that would compel the Department of Homeland Security \u2014 the federal agency that includes ICE \u2014 to do so. <\/p>\n Since the officer was off-duty, there is no body camera footage. None of the building\u2019s security cameras captured the shooting either, according to a message from the property management company.<\/p>\n The Times reviewed a video filmed by a neighbor that showed LAPD units responding to the scene after Porter had been shot, lights flashing on their squad cars. <\/p>\n One officer can be heard calling out: \u201cCome out or shelter in place.\u201d<\/p>\n Several residents who lived in units closest to the scene of the shooting said last week<\/a> they didn\u2019t witness the fatal incident, though one woman said several rounds struck her home. <\/p>\n An LAPD official said it was expected to take days before detectives would be able to interview the ICE agent responsible for Porter\u2019s death. An LAPD officer who was involved in an off-duty shooting could be compelled to speak with investigators under threat of discipline, but the department has no such leverage over a federal agent. <\/p>\n Caleb Mason, a former federal prosecutor who is now a partner with Werksman Jackson & Quinn in Los Angeles, said the local investigators are limited in this case, and do not \u201chave the ability to compel a federal agent to answer questions, nor to grant some kind of immunity.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThey could convene a grand jury and subpoena the person to come to the grand jury, that person could then invoke their 5th Amendment rights,\u201d Mason said.<\/p>\n Tooson said the shooting was a \u201cmicrocosm\u201d of federal law enforcement under the Trump administration \u201coverstepping boundaries and, in many instances, using deadly force when it was not required.\u201d<\/p>\n Other recent instances in which ICE and Border Patrol agents claimed they used force in self-defense have come under withering scrutiny. <\/p>\n On Wednesday in Minneapolis, an ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman<\/a>. Federal officials said the officer opened fire on her car after she attempted to run over agents in \u201can act of domestic terrorism.\u201d <\/p>\n Videos circulating online showed the woman seemingly attempting to drive away, as one masked agent is seen trying to open the vehicle\u2019s door while another blocks her path.<\/p>\n Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters he had reviewed footage of the incident<\/a>, which led him to believe \u201cthe narrative that this was done in self-defense is a garbage narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n In October, federal officials insisted an ICE agent opened fire in fear for his life after a popular TikTok streamer tried to ram agents attempting to arrest him in South L.A. Assault charges against the man, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, were recently dismissed by a judge. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767874040_387_.jpeg\")
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