Oregon state officials on Thursday said they are launching an investigation after two people were injured in a shooting that involved U.S. Border Patrol agents in Portland, Ore.
“We have been clear about our concerns with excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland and nationally,” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield (D) said in a statement. “We have also been clear about our intent to investigate circumstances involving federal agents to ensure they are accountable to acting within the scope of their official duties.”
“Today’s incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability,” Rayfield continued. “Our office will take every step necessary to ensure that the rights and security of Oregonians are protected.”
The attorney general added that the probe will look into whether federal officers “acted outside the scope of their lawful authority.”
“If evidence of criminal conduct is found, cases may be referred to the Multnomah County District Attorney for potential prosecution,” Rayfield added.
The Portland Police Bureau said in a statement that a man and a woman were both injured in a shooting in the Hazelwood neighborhood. Officers arrived at around 2:24 p.m. local time, applied a tourniquet and called for medical assistance. The two injured people were then taken to a nearby hospital, where their condition remains unknown.
Border Patrol claimed that they stopped a vehicle carrying a passenger who was “a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in its own statement.
“When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” the DHS statement continued. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving and more information is forthcoming.”
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said during an overnight press conference that the FBI was leading the investigation but provided no other details about what led to the shooting.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson (D) called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to pause its operations in the city until an investigation into the shooting is completed.
“I warned Homeland Security leadership that their actions constituted a disaster in the making. Yesterday’s horrific loss of life is the direct consequence of ignoring that warning. Make no mistake, this death was entirely preventable,” Wilson said in a statement, referring to the shooting death of Renee Nicole Macklin Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
“I deplore the callous, sickening rhetoric administration officials used to defend the indefensible and call for swift accountability,” he continued. “Elected officials cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts.”
The mayor added, “ICE agents and their Homeland Security leadership must be fully investigated and held responsible for their violence against the American people, in Minnesota, in Portland, and across the nation.”
The incident in Portland and recent ICE-involved fatal shooting in Minneapolis come amid President Trump’s nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration. The administration, including Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, has defended ICE’s actions in Minnesota and accused the woman who was shot and killed of attempting to run over an officer in what they claim was an act of “domestic terrorism.”
Hundreds of protestors marched following Renee Nicole Macklin Good’s death. Minnesota officials condemned ICE for how it handled the shooting, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) telling immigration enforcement officers to “get the f— out of Minneapolis.”