Credited from: BBC
Two individuals were shot and wounded by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, as confirmed by local police reports. The incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. local time and involved agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The victims, a man and a woman, were discovered shortly after the shooting and transported to a hospital; however, their conditions remain unclear, according to abcnews, aljazeera, and latimes.
The shooting occurred near a medical clinic in the Hazelwood neighborhood, as federal agents conducted a "targeted vehicle stop." A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security reported that the driver, allegedly a Venezuelan gang member, tried to "weaponize" his vehicle against the agents, prompting a defensive shot to be fired. The driver and passenger fled the scene before police located them several miles away, according to scmp and indiatimes.
This incident has occurred in a climate of heightened tensions following the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent in Minneapolis just one day prior. Local officials, including Portland Police Chief Bob Day, have emphasized the need for calm and thorough investigations, highlighting the community's emotional response to recent events. Mayor Keith Wilson also condemned the actions of federal agents, stating that “we cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” as reported by bbc and npr.
The FBI is currently leading the investigation into the shooting, with local police coordinating to secure the scene. The complexity of the situation is underscored by the broader national context of immigration enforcement actions and public sentiment against federal operations, particularly in Portland, which has long seen protests against immigration policies under the Trump administration. Local leaders have expressed their commitment to ensuring thorough and independent investigations into the conduct of federal agents involved in these incidents, according to scmp, latimes, and npr.