BLM LA's Abdullah says shooting would have led to an arrest "were this anyone else"
Melina Abdullahco-founder, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles
Black Lives Matter LA co-founder Melina Abdullah said the shooting would have led to an arrest if the shooter had not been a federal agent, and rejected the idea that Porter's celebratory gunfire justified killing him.
“Were this anyone else, there would've been an arrest. You don't get to just murder people because you don't like what they're doing or how they're celebrating.”
Reporting

Where this statement fits
Was ICE Agent Brian Palacios justified in fatally shooting Keith Porter Jr.?
On December 31, 2025, an off-duty ICE agent fatally shot Keith Porter Jr., 43, outside the Valley Pointe Apartments in Northridge, Los Angeles. The Department of Homeland Security says the agent responded to what he believed was an active shooter, identified himself as law enforcement, and fired after Porter pointed a rifle and exchanged gunfire with him. Porter's friends and family say he was firing a rifle into the air to celebrate New Year's Eve. Family attorney Jamal Tooson says two witnesses told him they heard only three shots from what sounded like a single weapon and did not hear the agent identify himself, though he has also said there are no eyewitnesses to the shooting. The Los Angeles Times reported that a law enforcement official said detectives found evidence of two bullet impacts behind where the agent was standing, which the Times said supported claims that Porter had fired at him. Court documents filed in an unrelated custody dispute later identified the agent as ICE officer Brian Palacios, though DHS has not officially confirmed his identity or involvement. The Los Angeles Police Department investigated and submitted its findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in mid-2026; as of September 2026, no charges had been filed.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Covers the Jan. 4, 2026 candlelight vigil for Porter hosted by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, with reaction from family and BLM LA leadership.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Abdullah spoke at a January 4, 2026 candlelight vigil for Porter in Northridge, hosted by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and attended by Porter's family and community members.
After the quotation
The vigil was intended, organizers said, to honor Porter's life while pressing for accountability from federal authorities over his death.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Abdullah rejects the premise that the agent's account justifies the killing, characterizing it instead as an unjustified killing that has escaped the accountability an ordinary shooter would face, which is a direct condemnation of the shooting rather than a defense of it or of a critic's remedy alone.
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- People and groups discussed
- Brian Palacios, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
More from this case
Read the full caseFamily attorney says witness accounts contradict DHS's exchanged-gunfire claim
“If it actually happened the way the officer said it did, it would have been an open and shut case.”Read statement
Keith Porter Sr. says the agent murdered his son and should face trial
“I definitely want justice. I want to see that guy brought to trial. He needs to go to jail for that. I mean, he just murdered him”Read statement
Free Speech For People seeks a criminal investigation of the Porter shooting
Free Speech For People
“Palacios was acting without any federal authority and, according to the evidence available, no reasonable official could believe his actions were lawful.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "BLM LA's Abdullah says shooting would have led to an arrest "were this anyone else"". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-24. https://disputeindex.com/events/2190-black-lives-matter-la-co-founder-melina-abdullah