Portland Councilor Jamie Dunphy on the federal shooting in East Portland
Jamie DunphyPortland City Councilor for District 1, in a joint statement with Councilors Candace Avalos and Loretta Smith
Portland City Councilors Candace Avalos, Jamie Dunphy and Loretta Smith said in a joint statement that ICE shot two of their East Portland neighbors and that it was part of a pattern of violence. They said the violence is unacceptable, criminal and against the U.S. Constitution.
“Today ICE shot two of our East Portland neighbors – just one day after an ICE agent shot and killed a Minneapolis mother. We are still waiting for more information at this time, but this is part of a pattern of violence that we have seen too many times across our country. ICE in our communities does not make us safe. It should be crystal clear to everyone that the real threat to community safety is the ICE agents harassing, targeting, detaining — and in some tragic cases — killing our neighbors. This violence is unacceptable, it is criminal, and it is against the constitution of the United States.”
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
Reporting
About this source
KATU report that collects statements from Oregon officials on the day of the shooting.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The three District 1 councilors issued the statement on January 8, 2026, in response to news that federal agents shot and injured two people in the Hazelwood neighborhood. Another statement in the same KATU report identified the agents as U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
After the quotation
The councilors also said in the statement that the federal government would spin the story as it does every time one of its agents hurts a community member. They asked their counterparts at every level of government to help protect Portlanders from aggressive immigration enforcement.
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. The councilors said ICE shot two of their East Portland neighbors, called it part of a pattern of violence, and said the violence is unacceptable, criminal and against the U.S. Constitution. They rejected the agents' conduct and did not defend it, so we used the label Condemned.
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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. "Portland Councilor Jamie Dunphy on the federal shooting in East Portland". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3443-portland-city-councilors-candace-avalos-jamie-dunphy-and