Family attorney says witness accounts contradict DHS's exchanged-gunfire claim
attorney for the family of Keith Porter Jr.
“If it actually happened the way the officer said it did, it would have been an open and shut case.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Explanatory backgrounder summarizing the case roughly six months on, including the family's tort claim language, autopsy findings, and witness accounts disputing DHS's claim that Porter and Palacios exchanged gunfire.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
By mid-2026, Porter's family had filed a liability claim against the federal government stating that Porter was "attempting to peacefully return to his residence" when killed and that the use of deadly force was "unjustified, unreasonable and without legal cause." Tooson said two witnesses provided consistent accounts to him.
After the quotation
Tooson said the witnesses told him the shots "sounded like they came from the same weapon" and that one witness gave LAPD Ring-camera footage of the moments before the shooting.
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 directly denies the factual basis of DHS's self-defense account, citing witnesses who said they heard only three shots from a single weapon and did not hear the agent identify himself, and an autopsy showing Porter was shot three times, all of which he argues rule out an exchange of gunfire.
- 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.
More from this case
Read the full case“This purposeful campaign of fear and intimidation by the administration is unacceptable.”Read statement
“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.”Read statement
“He didn't deserve this. He was on his way back. He didn't even get to pop the champagne. He didn't get to say goodbye. I just want to touch my baby one last time, kiss his face and hold him. I don't have him. His life was snatched from us. Lord, please, I just wish you could get justice for my child.”Read statement