A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and wounded a man and a woman in a vehicle on Thursday afternoon in Portland, Oregon, after the driver allegedly tried to run over agents, a senior federal official said.
The shooting occurred a day after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good as she was driving toward him on a street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after being ordered to exit her SUV by other ICE agents.
McLaughlin and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have accused Good, 37, of engaging in “domestic terrorism,” and claimed that she intentionally tried to run over ICE agents after blocking a residential street with her vehicle.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other Democratic officials have said those claims are false, pointing to videos of the shooting.
The shooting in Portland occurred at 2:19 p.m. PT, as Border Patrol agents were “conducting a targeted vehicle stop,” Homeland Security Department Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X.
“The passenger of the vehicle and target is a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland,” McLaughlin said.
“The vehicle driver is believed to be a member of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua,” she said.
“When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” McLaughlin said.
“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots,” she said. “The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene.”
Portland Police said the unidentified man and the woman who were shot were taken to a hospital, and that their conditions were unknown. The FBI is leading the investigation of the shooting.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, whose city has become a focus point for immigration enforcement actions by the Trump administration, in a statement, said, “Just one day after the horrific violence in Minnesota at the hands of federal agents, our community here in Portland is now grappling with another deeply troubling incident.”
“We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” Wilson said.
“Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences,” he said.
“As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.”
Portland Police Chief Bob Day, in a statement, said, “We are still in the early stages of this incident.”
“We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more,” Day said.
Portland Police, in a statement, said they responded to a report of a shooting on Southeast Main Street, in the city’s Hazelwood neighborhood.
“Officers confirmed that federal agents had been involved in a shooting,” the statement said. “Portland Police were not involved in the incident.”
“At 2:24 p.m., officers received information that a man who had been shot was calling and requesting help in the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside,” police said.
“Officers responded and found a male and female with apparent gunshot wounds,” the statement said.
“Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel. The patients were transported to the hospital. Their conditions are unknown.”
“Officers have determined the two people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents,” police said.
The FBI’s Portland office, in an emailed statement to CNBC, said it was “investigating an assault on a federal officers that happened at approximately 2:15pm near the 10000 block of Main St. in Portland involving two Customs and Border Patrol agents.”
“The two assailants fled the scene immediately following the shooting and are currently being treated for their injuries,” the office said. “This remains an active and ongoing investigation led by the FBI.”
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