Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez says Keith Porter's death deserves attention and that ICE agents operate with almost no oversight
Eunisses HernandezLos Angeles City Councilmember for District 1
Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said at a City Council meeting that what happened to Keith Porter deserves attention, especially when it involves federal ICE agents who operate with almost no oversight and a long history of violence followed by denial. She said silence is not an option.
“What happened to Keith Porter also deserves our attention, especially when it involves federal ICE agents who operate with almost no oversight and a long history of violence followed by denial This happened in our own backyard, and silence is not an option.”
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 Franceola Armstrong's Jan. 9, 2026 remarks to the Los Angeles City Council, made amid national attention on the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Keith Porter Jr., 43, was fatally shot in Northridge on New Year's Eve by an ICE agent who had not been publicly identified when MyNewsLA reported. The Department of Homeland Security said the agent responded to an active shooter and exchanged gunfire with Porter, while local activists said Porter was firing a weapon into the air to celebrate the holiday. Hernandez spoke as council members discussed the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier that week.
After the quotation
Hernandez then introduced Porter's mother, Franceola Armstrong, who spoke to the council.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the ICE agent was justified in fatally shooting Keith Porter Jr. Hernandez said what happened to Porter deserves attention, especially when it involves ICE agents who operate with almost no oversight and a long history of violence followed by denial, and that silence is not an option. She criticized the agency's conduct and oversight in connection with Porter's death rather than discussing the details of the shooting, so we labeled it Condemned.
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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. "Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez says Keith Porter's death deserves attention and that ICE agents operate with almost no oversight". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3427-los-angeles-city-councilmember-eunisses-hernandez-said-at