‘Active shooter’ or ICE agent’s victim? Dual claims after L.A. killing

Adrian Metoyer was outraged when he first heard government officials describe his best friend as an “active shooter” and a threat to his community.

Keith “Pooter” Porter was many things: a jack of all trades who worked dozens of jobs, a “girl dad” who was proud of his two daughters, an avid fisherman, a die-hard San Francisco 49ers fan, and an “artist” who loved to bring laughter to the room with his “silly” antics, friends and relatives said.

But they argue that Porter is not the threat Trump administration officials claimed after an off-duty U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed him in Northridge on New Year’s Eve.

“This is so far from the truth,” said Metoyer, 45. “I can’t even fathom the idea of ​​looking at him in a negative light. Calling a police officer a hero without any investigation… that’s ridiculous.”

In the week since Porter’s death, loved ones and community activists have rejected the narrative federal authorities offered to explain his killing, acknowledging he may have been armed and arguing that he was just celebrating the new year and not trying to shoot anyone.

Immigration officers’ use of deadly force came back into the national spotlight Wednesday following an ICE officer shooting and killing a woman in Minneapolis and condemnation from the mayor, who called the incident “reckless.”

In a statement released last week, Tricia McLaughlin, chief spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, claimed Porter was a suspected “active shooter” and said he was killed following a gunfight with an off-duty ICE agent at the Village Pointe Apartments on Roscoe Boulevard.

The unidentified “brave officer” lived at the apartment complex and was “protecting his community,” McLaughlin said. He said that they reported the situation to the authorities after the incident.

McLaughlin did not respond to The Times’ detailed list of questions this week.

Community members gathered at a vigil organized by Black Lives Matter-LA to remember Keith “Pooter” Porter, who was shot and killed by an off-duty ICE officer on New Year’s Eve.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department declined to name Porter or provide further details other than to confirm that a gun was found at the scene.

Initial news reports after the incident said Porter had fired an assault-style rifle. A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an active case confirmed that detail to The Times this week.

Porter’s loved ones and defenders said they believed he celebrated the new year by firing a gun into the air; This is an illegal and dangerous practice in Los Angeles, and city officials discourage it because falling bullets could hit bystanders.

Firing a gun into the air in the city could lead to felony charges, but Porter’s family’s attorney, Jamal Tooson, said at a news conference earlier this week that the ICE agent overreacted.

“What should have been an arrest and possible citation turned into a death sentence and possibly cold-blooded murder by an ICE agent who was not equipped to handle the situation,” Tooson said.

Tooson claimed that several people in the apartment complex fired a gun into the air and “only one was killed.” According to the LAPD, the attack occurred around 10:40 p.m., long before fireworks and gunshots rang out across the city at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Tooson did not dispute that his client was carrying a rifle. He said he interviewed several witnesses at the scene Wednesday; these included one person who overheard Porter demanding he “put down his rifle” on more than one occasion.

The witness then heard three shots being fired, which ended the confrontation, Tooson said. According to Tooson, this person has never heard anyone describe themselves as law enforcement.

Tooson said he “does not believe there was any shooting” between Porter and the agent.

Clarity on how the conflict occurred may not come any time soon.

Community members gathered together at a memorial organized by Black Lives Matter-LA to remember Keith “Pooter” Porter.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is investigating Porter’s killing, but it sometimes takes years for the agency to determine whether the use of deadly force constituted a crime.

While city policies require the LAPD to identify officers in serious use-of-force cases, there is nothing to compel the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency that includes ICE, to do so.

There is no body camera footage because the officer is off-duty. None of the building’s security cameras recorded the attack, according to a message from the property management company.

The Times reviewed a video taken by a neighbor that showed LAPD units responding to the scene with squad car lights flashing after Porter was shot.

A police officer can be heard shouting, “Get out or take shelter somewhere.”

While many residents living in the units closest to the scene of the shooting said they did not witness the deadly incident last week, one woman said her home was hit by multiple bullets.

An LAPD official said it is expected to take days before detectives can interview the ICE agent responsible for Porter’s death. An LAPD officer involved in an off-duty shooting could be forced to talk to investigators under threat of discipline, but the department has no such influence over a federal agent.

Caleb Mason, a former federal prosecutor who is now a partner at Werksman Jackson & Quinn in Los Angeles, said local investigators are limited in this case and “they don’t have the authority to compel a federal agent to answer questions or grant some kind of immunity.”

“They can convene a grand jury and subpoena the person to appear for the grand jury, and that person can then exercise their 5th Amendment rights,” Mason said.

Tooson said the shooting was a “microcosm” of federal law enforcement under the Trump administration “overstepping boundaries and using deadly force when it was not necessary in many cases.”

Other recent incidents in which ICE and Border Patrol agents claimed to have used force in self-defense have also come under serious scrutiny.

On Wednesday, an ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis. Federal authorities said the officer opened fire on the agents’ car after they tried to run them over in “an act of domestic terrorism.”

In videos circulating online, the woman is seen apparently trying to drive away as a masked agent attempts to open the vehicle’s door while another blocks her path.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey He told reporters that he was reviewing the footage of the incident.This led him to believe that “the narrative that this was done in self-defense is a ridiculous narrative.”

In October, federal authorities insisted an ICE agent opened fire out of fear for his life after a popular TikTok streamer tried to attack agents trying to arrest him in South Los Angeles. Assault charges against the man named Carlitos Ricardo Parias were recently dismissed by a judge.

In the video obtained by The Times last month, Parias can be seen with his hands in the air when the agent’s gun is fired. Both Parias and a U.S. deputy were injured by gunfire from the ICE agent.

The Times analysis also found that nearly a third of all cases involving an alleged assault against a federal officer in Los Angeles last year ended with prosecutors dropping the charges or losing the trial.

Metoyer, who has been friends with Porter for nearly 30 years, said the couple grew up in Compton and it was common to welcome the new year “with a celebratory fire.” He said his friend had become interested in guns in recent years and was excited to have recently obtained a firearms safety certificate and received the paperwork required under state law.

“He was very anxious and excited to be able to get his leave the last few years,” Metoyer said. “He felt that owning a firearm was a badge of expression.”

Porter’s mother, Franceola Armstrong, said her son did not intend to cause any harm.

“He wasn’t a threat…everyone who comes into contact with my baby has nothing but love to say,” she said.

Activist Najee Ali embraces Keith Porter Jr.’s mother, Franceola Armstrong, after speaking to the media in Studio City on Monday.

(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

Armstrong said he and his son were incredibly close, living together until about a year ago. Relatives said Porter moved to the San Fernando Valley to be closer to his girlfriend.

Porter worked multiple jobs, Metoyer said. He was a waiter, a tow truck driver and an aide to students with special needs. He had worked to complete the Compton Fire Academy and had recently found a job at Home Depot in Northridge. Whatever job he took, Porter aimed for a better life for his two daughters, ages 10 and 20, friends said.

“We had gotten together for games and drinks and things like that, and at the end of the night we had a really heart-to-heart talk about her preparation and priorities for moving here,” Jsané Tyler, a distant relative, said at last week’s vigil.

Metoyer said he and Porter first met at Verbum Dei High School, an all-boys Catholic institution in Watts, where they bonded over a shared love of football and basketball.

“He was an artist. He would always do his best to make people laugh,” Metoyer said. “He was a very, very kind person, gentle, caring. Loyal. Understanding, he was younger than me so I felt like I had to keep an eye on him because he was my little brother.”

Metoyer’s partner, Tamara Cedre, said the shooting was especially painful because of everything Porter had to overcome in his life. Cedre said Porter’s father was heavily involved with Compton gangs, but his mother worked tirelessly to help her son avoid that lifestyle, though his life would end up with a gun anyway.

“That’s what’s really heartbreaking about all of this,” he said. “You can try to fly straight, get an apartment, and move out of your neighborhood… but you’ll still find yourself in this situation.”