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ICE agent in death of Keith Porter facing allegations of abuse
An off-duty ICE agent accused of a deadly New Year's Eve shooting in Northridge is facing allegations of abuse and hateful remarks, according to a new LA Times report.
LOS ANGELES - An off-duty ICE agent accused of a deadly New Year's Eve shooting in Northridge is facing allegations of abuse and hateful remarks, according to a new LA Times report.
Given these new allegations, the family of Keith Porter and their attorney believe this could qualify as a hate crime or race-related. Now they want the Attorney General's Office to investigate.
What they're saying:
"We're hoping we can now receive justice for Keith," said Keith's aunt Nakeda Armstrong Phillips.
The family of Keith Porter and their attorney spoke out Friday after a new LA Times report outlined explosive allegations against the off-duty ICE agent who reportedly shot and killed the father of two.
"At this stage we are left puzzled, what due diligence, if any, did ICE do either before hiring him or after," said attorney Jamal Tooson.
LAPD said Porter was firing celebratory shots into the air with an AR-15-style rifle. The off-duty ICE agent also lives in the same complex.
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Homeland Security officials allege Porter pointed a rifle at the off-duty ICE agent during a confrontation at their Northridge apartment. The agent then shot and killed the father of two.
DHS claims the off-duty ICE agent responded to an "active shooter situation" at his apartment complex and was forced to use his weapon to protect his life and others.
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Keith Porter: Family of man killed by ICE seeks justice
An off-duty ICE agent accused of a deadly New Year’s Eve shooting in Northridge is now facing shocking allegations of abuse and hateful remarks according to a new LA Times report. The family of the man shot, Keith Porter, are now seeking justice.
Dig deeper:
According to the LA Times report, court documents obtained by the outlet accuse the officer of child abuse and making racist remarks in the past.
"This appears to be a premeditated isolated incident by somebody with a racial history who hunted him down and killed him steps away from his house," said Tooson.
The family's attorney says Porter was never a threat.
"There has been not a single witness to come forward to indicate that they thought they were in fear of their safety from Keith Porter Jr that night," said Tooson.
The attorney for the law enforcement officer, Stacie Halpern told FOX 11 there is "evidence of bullet holes in the wall" to support that her client acted in self-defense of himself and his community. She also says he "denies making any racist remarks" and claims "the child abuse allegations were unfounded."
But the family and their attorney believe the allegations are enough to get the Attorney General involved.
"We are moving to asking that the Attorney General Rob Bonta to conduct an independent investigation based off of these allegations this could be race related and certainly a hate crime," said Tooson.
The family of Porter and their attorney have claimed this all could've been avoided if the off-duty ICE agent did not involve himself and first called LAPD to respond.
LAPD is investigating the case.
The other side:
The attorney for the off-duty ICE agent is denying all of these new claims of abuse and racial remarks.
FOX 11 reached out to DHS for a statement on the allegation outlined in the LA Times report. We are waiting to hear back.
The Source: Information for this story came from the attorney of Keith Porter, Jamal Tooson, and Porter's family. The story also cited a recent LA Times report.