Senator Wyden post on the Portland shooting
Ron WydenUnited States Senator for Oregon
Senator Ron Wyden said the shooting showed that the deployment of federal agents in Portland was inflaming violence and called for it to end.
“I'm monitoring the first awful reports of two people shot in Portland by federal law enforcement. I'll keep you updated, but Trump's deployment of federal agents in my hometown is clearly inflaming violence -- and must end.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Was a Border Patrol agent justified in shooting Luis David Niño-Moncada and Yorlenys Zambrano-Contreras in Portland?
On January 8, 2026, at about 2:15 p.m., a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent shot and wounded Luis David Niño-Moncada and Yorlenys Zambrano-Contreras, both Venezuelan nationals, in the parking lot of an Adventist Health clinic in Portland, Oregon's Hazelwood neighborhood, during a vehicle stop conducted by a team of Border Patrol agents. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agent fired in self-defense after the driver, Niño-Moncada, 'weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents'; agents said he repeatedly reversed and drove his truck into an unoccupied rental vehicle used by the agents. Initial reporting described the pair as unarmed. DHS also alleged the two had ties to the Tren de Aragua gang and, in Zambrano-Contreras's case, a prostitution ring; Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the gang information did not draw a 'throughline' to the shooting itself. The FBI opened an investigation and initially reported finding no video of the shooting; Oregon's Department of Justice separately opened an investigation. The shooting prompted protests in Portland, including at least six arrests. Niño-Moncada was charged with aggravated assault of a federal officer and damaging federal property; Zambrano-Contreras was charged with improper entry by an alien and pleaded guilty within days, receiving probation. In February 2026, a nearby treatment center released surveillance video that offered a partial view of the incident. In July 2026, federal prosecutors disclaimed the gang-membership allegation and dropped the assault charge, and Niño-Moncada pleaded guilty to the lesser property-damage charge; he was sentenced in September 2026 to time served and ordered deported. Court filings unsealed in September 2026 also disclosed that a Portland police officer's body camera captured a Border Patrol agent attempting to remove an unfired bullet from the scene before being stopped.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Senator Ron Wyden's own post reacting to the shooting on the day it occurred, characterizing federal agent deployment in Portland as inflaming violence.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Wyden posted within hours of the shooting, before DHS's account, the criminal charges, or any of the case's later evidentiary developments were public.
After the quotation
Wyden continued to call for the withdrawal of federal agents from Portland in the following months as the criminal cases against Niño-Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras proceeded.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Wyden's post condemns the federal deployment that led to the shooting, characterizing it as a cause of violence rather than a justified law-enforcement response.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
More from this case
Read the full caseU.S. Attorney's Office for Oregon says an officer fired only after the truck hit a government car twice
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon
“As part of his plea agreement, Nino-Moncada admitted that his conduct placed others at risk of serious bodily injury and that he was conscious of or recklessly disregarded that risk. It was only after defendant struck the government car twice, within just a few feet of the officers’ positions, and with one officer in the path of the truck, that a government officer fired two shots at defendant.”Read statement
Federal prosecutors say the agent's decision to shoot was reasonable
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon
“supports that the shooting officer’s reaction in shooting after the Tacoma nearly ran him over was reasonable in the face of such danger occurring within those brief seconds.”Read statement
Federal defender says the agent likely fired to stop the truck from fleeing, not in self-defense
“was not in position to be hit by the truck; he likely fired to prevent the truck from fleeing rather than in self-defense.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Senator Wyden post on the Portland shooting". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-24. https://disputeindex.com/events/2195-senator-ron-wyden-said-the-shooting-showed-that