An off-duty ICE officer shot and killed a neighbor in Northridge on New Year’s Eve, claiming he was acting in self-defense against an “active shooter.” Friends of the victim insist he was merely celebrating the holiday.
Tricia McLaughlin, an Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, reported that the officer, whose name has not been disclosed, confronted 43-year-old Keith Porter outside his apartment after hearing what seemed like many gunshots coming from within.
When officers arrived, they found Porter on the ground floor with a long rifle. After he failed to respond to their commands, they fired in an attempt to “disarm” him. Officials noted that Porter fired back at least three times before being shot by the officers.
According to an ICE spokesperson, the off-duty officers acted heroically in response to what they believed was an active shooter situation, stating that the officer was protecting his life and others by engaging in a gunfight.
The Los Angeles Police Department was called to the scene and found Porter deceased. Investigators reported that the officer had identified himself as law enforcement and claimed Porter had fired at him, prompting the return fire.
However, Porter’s family and Black Lives Matter activists disputed this account during a vigil at the apartment complex. The details regarding the race of the ICE officer remain undisclosed, but Porter was identified as Black.
Melina Abdullah, co-founder of BLM Los Angeles, criticized the shooting, saying, “You can’t just kill someone just because you don’t like what they’re doing or how they’re celebrating.”
Mourners are demanding justice for Porter and plan to meet with District Attorney Nathan Hockman soon.
“If you can tell an ICE officer one thing, it’s that you’re a murderer. You stole my cousin from me. You stole their father,” said Porter’s cousin Jasane Tyler.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is still ongoing.
