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Demands for investigation into Keith Porter shooting
The community is demanding accountability and transparency after Keith Porter, a Northridge dad, was shot by an ICE officer.
LOS ANGELES - The family of Keith Porter Jr. is calling for an immediate arrest and a transparent investigation following his death on New Year’s Eve.
What we know:
Porter, a 43-year-old father of two, was fatally shot just after 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 by an off-duty ICE agent at an apartment complex in Northridge.
The Los Angeles Police Department said Porter was firing celebratory shots into the air with an AR-15-style rifle. The off-duty agent, who also lives in the apartment, heard the gunfire and confronted Porter.
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According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, the situation escalated when Porter allegedly pointed the rifle at the agent, leading the agent to fire the fatal shots.
What we don't know:
The identity of the agent has not been released.
The backstory:
Family members and community leaders say Porter, a father of two, was not a threat and are calling for an independent investigation into the shooting.
"He was a great Black man. He was a girl dad," said Porter’s cousin, Jsane Tyler.
Porter's mother, Franceola Armstrong, described her son as a man with a wonderful soul and big heart.
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"He didn't deserve this. He was on his way back. He didn't even get to pop the champagne. He didn't get to say goodbye," she said during a city council meeting.
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Keith Porter: LA dad shot by off-duty ICE agent
A candlelight vigil was held in Northridge to honor 43-year-old Keith Porter, who was shot to death by an off-duty ICE officer after celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve.
"I just want to touch my baby one last time, kiss his face, and hold him. I don't have him. His life was snatched from us."
Joseph Williams of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles also spoke at the meeting and condemned Porter's shooting and the lack of any criminal action against the unknown ICE agent.
"We know in this city, law enforcement shootings by LAPD have increased by what, 70% last year, and there has been very little, if any, accountability in any of those cases," Williams said.
"The fact that Keith Porter's murderer was not arrested and to give up his weapon on that very night is unacceptable."
What's next:
The family has since appeared before the Los Angeles Police Commission to demand that the LAPD treat the case as a criminal investigation into the agent's actions.
Additionally, the family is considering a lawsuit against the federal government for what they describe as an unjustified killing.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Keith Porter: Family of Los Angeles dad shot by off-duty ICE cop speaks out
The case is currently being handled through two separate channels.
The Department of Homeland Security is investigating the shooting internally, while the LAPD conducts its own probe into the death.
No arrests have been made.
The Source: This report is compiled from official statements issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), alongside public testimony provided by the Porter family during a City Council meeting and a Police Commission hearing. Our reporting also incorporates direct on-the-ground accounts from family members and community leaders shared during a candlelight vigil in Northridge.