Brian Palacios is a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer identified as the off-duty agent who fatally shot Keith Porter Jr. outside the Valley Pointe Apartments in Northridge, Los Angeles, on December 31, 2025. His identity has not been officially confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security; it emerged from court filings submitted in an unrelated child-custody dispute involving his partner, and DHS has said it has not confirmed whether he was involved in the shooting. He remained employed by ICE and, according to court records, was later placed on administrative duty.
Case
An off-duty ICE agent, later identified in court filings as Brian Palacios, fatally shot Keith Porter Jr. in Northridge on New Year's Eve. DHS says Porter aimed a rifle and fired; his family says he was firing celebratory shots skyward.
