Two people were wounded Thursday in a shooting by a Border Patrol agent in Portland, Oregon, police said, in what federal officials have called an act of self-defense during a targeted vehicle stop.
On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security identified the two people shot, calling them “suspected Tren de Aragua gang associates” in a statement posted on X.
The driver of the vehicle, Luis David Nico Moncada, illegally entered the U.S. in 2022, the statement alleged.
The passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, allegedly played a role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring. She entered the U.S. in 2023, according to the statement.
The shooting comes one day after Renee Nicole Good, 37, a U.S. citizen and mother, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis while she was in her car.
Police had responded to a reported shooting shortly after 2:15 p.m. in the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street, Portland police said in a news release.
A few minutes later, officers received a report that a man who had been shot was “calling and requesting help” near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside Street, about 3 miles from the first scene. There, officers found a male and a female with apparent gunshot wounds.
Officers applied a tourniquet, and the two were transported to a hospital. “Their conditions are unknown,” police said.
Police said officers “determined the two people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents.”
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop at 2:19 p.m. local time.
When agents identified themselves to the vehicle, the driver allegedly “weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” McLaughlin said.
"Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving and more information is forthcoming,” she said.
The agents had stopped a red Toyota, and when the driver tried to flee, the car struck an agent, prompting an agent to fire at the vehicle, two law enforcement sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
Local police said they could not verify those claims as they responded after the incident took place. Portland Police Chief Bob Day told a news conference that local police "do not know the facts of this case" and were simply providing support to the FBI, which was leading the investigation.
The FBI Portland office said it was investigating “an assault on federal officers” involving two Customs and Border Protection agents. The agency said two people who “fled the scene immediately following the shooting” are being treated for their injuries.
In the Minneapolis shooting, the Department of Homeland Security also said Good “weaponized” her vehicle.
In that shooting, the Department of Homeland Security also said the officer’s actions were in self-defense. Homeland Security claimed Good was trying to run over the law enforcement officers. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey disputed that as "bulls---," and witnesses described seeing Good trying to flee when she was shot.
Day, the Portland police chief, said in a statement: “We are still in the early stages of this incident. We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson condemned the shooting, which occurred in Hazelwood, a large and diverse neighborhood in east Portland. He called for ICE to end operations in the city until a full investigation is conducted.
“I call on every Portlander to represent our values and to show up with calm and purpose during this difficult time. Portland does not respond to violence with violence. We respond with clarity, unity, and a commitment to justice,” he said in a statement.
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners also decried the shooting, saying: “What we can say now is enough is enough. The terror and violence ICE is causing in our neighborhoods must end now.”
