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by Steve Benham, KATU Staff
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent shot and wounded two people in the city of Portland on Thursday afternoon. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the shooting was in self-defense when the driver of a vehicle that the agents had pulled over tried to run them over.
In a post on X, DHS said the passenger in the vehicle was from Venezuela and illegally in the United States and was believed to be affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring. DHS said the person had also been involved in a shooting in Portland.
"When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene," DHS said.
The FBI said it is investigating the shooting.
The shooting happened outside the Adventist Health clinic near Southeast Main Street at around 2:20 p.m. The two wounded people drove more than 2.5 miles to Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside, where they were found and taken to the hospital.
Portland police said their officers were called to the area of the clinic where they confirmed federal agents were involved in a shooting. They said they were not involved in the shooting.
The condition of the two people who were shot wasn’t immediately known but Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said as far as she knew they were still alive.
Portland police said at 2:24 p.m., they had learned that a man who had been shot called to request help near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside. Arriving officers found a man and a woman wounded from apparent gunshot wounds. Police confirmed federal agents were involved.
The two people who were wounded were taken to the hospital.
Residents in the area told KATU that a red Toyota truck was driven to an apartment complex. A man at the scene said he saw the wounded man stopped in the truck, who then got out and was bleeding.
FBI agents were seen collecting evidence from the scene. At about 6:35 p.m., a tow truck towed the truck away and all law enforcement left the area.
At the clinic where the shooting happened, FBI agents focused on a black Hyundai parked in the clinic's parking lot. Both front doors of the car were open, and it had front-end damage. It was not known Thursday night how the vehicle or its occupants were connected to the shooting. FBI agents had mostly cleared the scene by 10:20 p.m.
The shooting in Portland came a day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, rattling city leaders in Portland.
In a statement shortly after the shooting was confirmed, Mayor Keith Wilson called on the Trump administration to end Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city until an independent investigation into the shooting could be completed. He restated the demand in a news conference flanked by other city leaders, city councilors, Multnomah County commissioners, the county sheriff, the city police chief, state lawmakers, faith leaders and the governor of the state.
“When the [Trump] administration talks about using full force, we are seeing what it means on our streets. The consequences are not abstract. They are felt in hospital rooms and living rooms, in the quiet moments when families try to make sense of what happened, what is happening," Wilson said. "We know what the federal government said happened here. There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time has long passed."
RELATED: Mayor calls for ICE to halt operations in Portland after 2 shot by federal agent
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek echoed the sentiment that the trust between the federal government and local leaders had been broken. She also called for an independent investigation.
“The priority right now is a full, completed investigation, not more detentions," Kotek said. "My message to the federal government is this, we demand transparency. We demand your cooperation with Portland police and the Multnomah County DA, because we need to investigate this incident efficiently and effectively so we can rebuild trust with our nation's government.”
During that news conference, a large group of people gathered outside City Hall to protest the shooting.
Portland City Councilor Sameer Kanal expressed frustration and anger. His sentiment echoed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s criticism of ICE when one of its agents killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in that city on Wednesday. Frey told ICE to “get the f***” out of his city.
“You are hearing and you are seeing attempts to justify the unjustifiable, to completely defend the indefensible from our federal government,” Kanal told the people gathered outside Portland City Hall. “It’s unacceptable. We’re going to stand against it. We see through your bullshit.”
He said his thoughts were with those in hospitals and in detention, and he said he stood in solidarity with Good’s family and loved ones, as well as with the Minneapolis community.
In a statement, state Sen. Christine Drazan, a Republican from Canby, and who is running for governor this year to challenge Democrat Kotek, accused the state's political leaders of rushing to judgment and treating "dangerous criminals like victims."
"I want law enforcement to arrest transnational Tren de Aragua gang members and take them off our streets, end human trafficking, and make our communities safer," she said. "An investigation is underway. That investigation will determine whether today's use of force was warranted. The last thing we need in a moment like this is a bunch of grandstanding politicians exploiting this situation and inciting fear to advance their own political agendas."
Late Thursday night, a large group of people gathered at the ICE facility in South Portland. The facility has been the site of protest against ICE activities since last June.
Portland police and state troopers responded to the facility. Portland police used a public address system to order people to disperse. Several people were taken into custody.
MORE ON THE PROTEST: Protests outside Portland ICE facility after federal agent shoots, injures 2 people
Watch a recorded video of KATU's livestream from the facility:
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, posted on X, urging people to keep any protests of the Trump administration peaceful.
"Trump wants to generate riots. Don't take the bait," he wrote.
Portland city councilors were holding their meeting Thursday afternoon when suddenly they adjourned. A KATU reporter covering the meeting said the councilors rushed to the fourth floor where the mayor’s office is located.
The reporter learned from protesters at the meeting, who were there to protest federal actions, that a shooting involving federal agents had happened.
KATU immediately began working to confirm the information.
At 3:40 p.m., city councilors reconvened in the council chambers and announced they had learned federal agents were involved in shooting two people in Portland.
“I’m sorry to be delivering this news today,” Pirtle-Guiney said upon reconvening the meeting. “We are all holding both Ms. Good’s family and the families of these Portlanders. As we sit here as far as we know, both of these individuals are still alive, and we are hoping for more positive updates.”
Additional reporting by KATU's Tanvi Varma, Victor Park, Shelby Slaughter, Christina Giardinelli and Jennifer Singh.
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