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

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

Keith “Pooter” Porter was many things: a jack-of-all-trades who worked dozens of jobs, a proud “girl-daddy” to his two daughters, an avid fisherman, a die-hard San Francisco 49ers fan and a “performer” who loved to lead a room for laughs with his “goofy” antics, friends and loved ones said.

A distributed photo of Keith Porter Jr.

(Courtesy of the Islamic Hope Project)

But, they argue, Porter was not the threat Trump administration officials made him out to be after an off-duty U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot him in Northridge on New Year’s Eve.

“That’s far from the truth. I can’t even imagine it being viewed in a negative light. Calling the officer a hero, before an investigation has been done… it’s ridiculous,” Metoyer, 45, said.

In the week since Porter’s death, his relatives and community activists have rejected the narrative offered by federal officials to explain his killing, acknowledging that he may have been armed but saying he was just celebrating the new year — not trying to shoot anyone.

The use of deadly force by immigration agents returned to the national spotlight Wednesday, after an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis and drew condemnation from the city’s mayor, who called the incident “reckless.”

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

McLaughlin said the “brave officer,” who was not identified, lived at the apartment complex and “protected his community.” He reported the incident to authorities after it happened, she said.

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

Community members gather at a vigil organized by Black Lives Matter-LA to honor Keith “Pooter” Porter, killed in a New Year’s Eve shooting by an off-duty ICE officer.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

In a statement, Los Angeles police declined to name Porter or provide further details except to confirm that a firearm was found at the scene.

Initial reports after the incident indicated that Porter was firing an assault rifle. A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an active case, confirmed the detail to the Times this week.

Porter’s relatives and defenders said they believed he was ringing in the new year by firing a gun into the air — an illegal and dangerous Los Angeles practice that city officials discourage because falling bullets can hit bystanders.

Shooting into the air in the city can result in criminal charges, but Jamal Tooson, an attorney for Porter’s family, 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 potentially cold-blooded murder by an ICE agent who was not equipped to handle the situation,” Tooson said.

Tooson said several people in the apartment complex were shooting into the air and “only one was murdered.” The shooting happened around 10:40 p.m., according to the LAPD, well before fireworks and gunshots marked midnight in the city on New Year’s Eve.

Tooson did not dispute that his client was in possession of a rifle. On Wednesday, he said he interviewed several witnesses at the scene, including one person who heard someone demand that Porter “put the gun down” several times.

Tooson said that witness then described hearing three gunshots, which ended the conflict. At no time did this person hear anyone identifying themselves as law enforcement, according to Tooson.

Tooson said he did not “believe there was an exchange of gunfire” between Porter and the officer.

Clarity on how the shooting happened may not come soon.

Community members gather at a vigil organized by Black Lives Matter-LA to honor Keith “Pooter” Porter.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is currently reviewing Porter’s killing, although it can take years to determine whether deadly use of force constitutes a crime.

Although city policies require the LAPD to identify officers in serious use of force cases, nothing requires the Department of Homeland Security — the federal agency that includes ICE — to do so.

Because the officer was off-duty, there is no body camera footage. None of the building’s security cameras captured the shooting either, according to a post from the property management company.

The Times reviewed video filmed by a neighbor that showed LAPD units responding to the scene after Porter was shot, lights flashing on their patrol cars.

A police officer can be heard shouting, “Get out or shelter in place.”

Several residents who lived in the units closest to the scene of the shooting said last week that they did not witness the fatal incident, although one woman said several bullets hit her home.

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

Caleb Mason, a former federal prosecutor now a partner at Werksman Jackson & Quinn in Los Angeles, said local investigators were limited in the case and did not have “the ability to compel a federal agent to answer questions, nor to grant any sort of immunity.”

“They could convene a grand jury and subpoena the person to appear before the grand jury, that person could then invoke their rights under the 5th Amendment,” Mason said.

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

Other recent cases in which ICE and Border Patrol agents claimed they used force in self-defense have drawn scrutiny.

An ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Federal officials said the officer opened fire on her car after she tried to run over officers in an “act of domestic terrorism.”

Videos circulating online showed the woman apparently trying to flee, as a masked officer tried to open the vehicle’s door while another blocked her path.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters he had viewed footage of the incident, which led him to believe “the narrative that this was done in self-defense is a bullshit narrative.”

In October, federal officials insisted that an ICE agent opened fire, fearing for his life, after a popular TikTok streamer tried to ram agents who were trying to arrest him in South Los Angeles. Assault charges against the man, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, were recently dismissed by a judge.

Video obtained by The Times last month shows Parias with his hands raised as the officer’s gun goes off. Parias and a deputy U.S. marshal were injured by the ICE agent’s gunfire.

A Times analysis also found that nearly a third of all cases involving an alleged assault on a federal agent in Los Angeles last year ended with prosecutors dropping charges or losing at trial.

Metoyer, who has been friends with Porter for nearly 30 years, said the couple grew up in Compton, where it was common to celebrate the New Year with a “holiday fire.” He said his friend had become interested in firearms in recent years and was pleased to have recently obtained the necessary paperwork under state law by obtaining a firearm safety certificate.

“Over the last couple of years, he was very anxious and excited because he finally got his license,” Metoyer said. “He felt like being able to own a gun was a sign of expression.”

Porter’s mother, Franceola Armstrong, said her son meant no harm.

“He was not a threat…anyone who comes into contact with my baby has nothing to say but love,” she said.

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

(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)

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

Porter has held a multitude of jobs, Metoyer said. He was a waiter, a tow truck driver and a caregiver for students with special needs. He had been trying to finish Compton Fire Academy and had recently found a job at a nearby Home Depot in Northridge. No matter what job he took, his friends say, Porter had his sights set on a better life for his two daughters, ages 10 and 20.

“We had gotten together for games and drinks and stuff, and at the end of the evening we had a serious heart-to-heart conversation…about his preparation to move here and his priorities,” said Jsané Tyler, a distant relative, at a vigil last week.

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 entertainer. He was always going out of his way to make people laugh,” Metoyer said. “He was a very, very kind, kind, compassionate person. Loyal. Understanding, he was younger than me so I felt like I had to look out for him because he was my little brother.”

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

“That’s what’s really heartbreaking about all of this,” she said. “You can try to fly straight in, find an apartment and get out of the neighborhood…and you still end up in that situation.”