According to reports from ABC 7, 43-year-old Keith Porter lost his life in Northridge. The story goes that an off-duty federal agent, hearing gunfire near his home, decided to investigate. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims Porter was holding a rifle when confronted and was told to drop the weapon.
This incident sadly echoes other situations, like Donald Trump’s past claims regarding a woman shot by ICE in Minneapolis.
The DHS Narrative: Agent Claims Porter Fired First
DHS insists that Keith Porter did not comply with orders and fired three shots at the agent, who then used his authorized service weapon, leading to Porter’s death. However, Porter’s family is fiercely disputing this narrative. They say Porter had fired celebratory New Year’s Eve gunshots much earlier, and the agent arrived after the festive shots, not during an active confrontation.
Crucially, neighbors told investigators they never heard the agent identify himself as law enforcement before the shots were fired.
Jamal Tooson, the attorney representing Porter’s family, didn’t hold back in his criticism of the agent’s actions. Tooson pointed out the agent’s questionable decision to leave his apartment, which was a position of safety, and descend into what he described as a “position of danger” after hearing gunshots.
Attorney Tooson: Protocol Ignored, Justice Demanded
Tooson further emphasized that the agent failed to follow proper protocol, stressing that local law enforcement should have been the first responders.
“An LAPD officer should have been called to the scene,” Tooson asserted, rather than an off-duty federal agent taking matters into his own hands.
