Palacios's attorney says he was defending himself and the community

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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.