Jeff Merkley questions the administration's account of the Portland shooting
Jeff MerkleyU.S. Senator for Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley said the administration's account of the Portland shooting used words that echoed those used in Minneapolis, that "we have lost trust in the administration to give us the straight scoop on anything," and that the account may be accurate but there were no videos of what happened at that location.
“Those words, by the way, are just an exact echo of the words that were used in Minneapolis. And we have lost trust in the administration to give us the straight scoop on anything. this story may be absolutely accurate. We don't know. And there are no videos as to what happened at that location.”
Interview
Reporting
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
Interview
About this source
KATU News interview with Sen. Jeff Merkley about the January 8, 2026 shooting in Portland, posted on KATU's YouTube channel and aired in its Your Voice, Your Vote program.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
KATU's write-up of its January 11, 2026 Your Voice, Your Vote segment with the Multnomah County District Attorney and Sen. Merkley, with links to both interviews.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
According to KATU, DHS said the driver tried to run over Border Patrol agents and that one agent fired in self-defense. Just before this passage, Merkley summarized the administration's account as a planned stop, alleged ties to a Venezuelan gang and a car used as a weapon. Merkley spoke the day after the shooting, which came a day after a shooting involving an ICE officer in Minneapolis. In the words between the two parts of the quotation he said the administration had time and again put forward a story that was rapidly proved false, and "this story" in the second part refers to the administration's account of the Portland shooting.
After the quotation
In the same answer Merkley said it was important that state and local officials be involved in the investigation, and he praised the Oregon attorney general for saying he would look into whether the agents followed the law. He also said that an intense investigation with transparency and accountability was incredibly important.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the Border Patrol agent was justified in shooting the two people, and the administration's account is that the driver weaponized his vehicle. In this passage Merkley did not say the shooting was wrong or right. He said the account echoed words used in Minneapolis, that "we have lost trust in the administration to give us the straight scoop on anything," and that the account may be accurate but there were no videos of what happened. He disputes the reliability of the government's description without reaching a conclusion, so we labeled it Challenged the characterization.
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- 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. "Jeff Merkley questions the administration's account of the Portland shooting". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2856-sen-jeff-merkley-said-the-administration-s-account