Family attorney says agent walked into danger rather than calling LAPD
attorney for the family of Keith Porter Jr.
“He claims he heard gunshots were getting closer to his apartment, but rather than staying at a position of safety, he left his apartment and went downstairs to what would be a position of danger.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Covers the Jan. 13, 2026 LA Police Commission meeting where Porter's family and community advocates sought answers and demanded the agent be identified, arrested, and charged.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Tooson spoke to reporters as Porter's family and community advocates attended the January 13, 2026 Los Angeles Police Commission meeting demanding the agent be identified, arrested, and charged.
After the quotation
Tooson added that the agent made "the premeditated and calculated decision to grab a firearm" instead of waiting for LAPD to respond, a decision the family argues created the confrontation rather than resolving one already underway.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Was ICE Agent Brian Palacios justified in fatally shooting Keith Porter Jr.?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
Tooson does not deny that shots were fired near the agent's apartment, but he rejects DHS's framing of the agent as a defender forced to act; he argues the agent's own choice to leave a position of safety undercuts the claim that shooting Porter was a necessary defensive response.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Brian Palacios, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Was ICE Agent Brian Palacios justified in fatally shooting Keith Porter Jr.?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
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