Feds say shooting in Portland by Border Patrol was self-defense; witness describes agents cornering truck

Much remained unknown Thursday about the chain of events that led to the shooting of a couple near a Portland hospital by at least one immigration agent.

Unlike Wednesday’s shooting in Minneapolis when numerous people captured video of the fatal confrontation between officers and a resident on a city street, no video has emerged yet and there are few witness accounts so far of the Portland shooting. Authorities, meanwhile, have released few details.

One witness in the Portland shooting said he heard five gunshots fired in the parking lot of a Southeast Portland medical office after federal officers boxed in a Toyota truck that had pulled into the lot Thursday afternoon.

The man had been seeking care at the office near Adventist Health hospital when he said he saw the officers follow the truck into the lot at 10201 S.E. Main St. and approach it.

One officer pounded on the truck’s window and the driver appeared scared, the man said. The driver then backed up and moved forward, striking a car behind him at least twice, before turning and speeding off, he said.

About five shots rang out from the contingent of officers as the truck raced away, he said. He added that it appeared one car was too “smashed up” to drive and remained in the lot of the medical office.

He gave only his first name, Steve, for privacy reasons, he said.

Later Thursday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said U.S. Border Patrol agents were trying to stop a vehicle whose driver was believed to be a member of the Tren de Aragua gang. The passenger was believed to be an associate of the gang, McLaughlin said.

When agents identified themselves, the driver “weaponized” his vehicle and attempted to “run over the law enforcement agents,” she said.

“Fearing for his life, an agent fired a defensive shot,” according to McLaughlin.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem provided similar reasoning – an officer threatened by a moving vehicle – for the fatal shooting Wednesday of a motorist in Minneapolis, Renee Nicole Good, after federal immigration agents approached her car and demanded she open her door.

The driver and passenger wounded at the Portland medical office drove about 40 blocks east, where Portland police later found them.

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Two shot by federal immigration agents in Portland

Police first got a call at 2:18 p.m. about a report of the shooting outside the medical office and six minutes later received a report from the driver who had been shot seeking help in the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside. Officers found a man and woman with gunshot wounds who were taken to separate hospitals. Police said they didn’t know their conditions.

Late Thursday night, FBI investigators were documenting and processing evidence outside the medical office, particularly the banged-up black sedan, with its driver’s and front passenger doors left open. It sat in front of the medical office’s entrance. FBI agents also scoured the lot for potential shell casings.

Patients, many using walkers or wheelchairs, had been holed up inside the three-story office building for at least an hour before they and staff were slowly escorted out to their cars. The parking lot remained full through the evening as FBI agents using flashlights scoured the ground for evidence.

The FBI said it was investigating an “assault” on two Customs and Border Patrol officers.

McLaughlin, the assistant secretary, said the truck’s driver is a member of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and that the passenger was the target, affiliated with a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved in a recent shooting in Portland.

Law enforcement officials haven’t released the names of the people wounded or the officers involved.

Though the FBI is leading the investigation, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez stopped by the scene of the shooting Thursday afternoon. He said his office was present to assist.

“Of course I’m very concerned about the events that transpired today,” he said. “Our main concern is that there’s a thorough and complete investigation. …Local officials are very carefully monitoring this.”

And late Thursday night, Oregon’s Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced the Oregon Department of Justice was initiating an investigation into the federal officer shooting of the couple in Southeast Portland.

“Today’s incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability,” he said in a statement. “Our office will take every step necessary to ensure that the rights and security of Oregonians are protected.”