US Customs and Border Protection agents shot two alleged Tren de Aragua gangbangers who federal officials said tried to run them down in a targeted traffic stop in Oregon Thursday afternoon.
The federal agent-involved shooting in Portland came just one day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent gunned down anti-ICE activist Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota.
In the latest shooting, CBP agents fired off defensive rounds when the alleged Venezuelan gang members “weaponized” their car during the stop, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
The agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants – but the driver then allegedly tried to mow them down, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.
“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming,” McLaughlin said.
Federal officials said the driver is an alleged member of the notorious criminal organization, with the passenger an illegal Venezuelan migrant allegedly affiliated with the gang’s prostitution ring and shootings in Portland.
No other details about the shooting were released.
Portland police said a man and a woman were found with gunshot wounds near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside Street in Portland around 2:20 p.m. local time, after the man called authorities for help.
Police said the shooting unfolded about three miles away.
Officers applied a tourniquet to the pair, who were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Their condition hasn’t been confirmed.
“We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Chief Bob Day said in a statement, stressing that police had no role in the shooting.
“We understand this 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.”
The FBI is leading the investigation.
Mayor Keith Wilson condemned federal officials of losing the public’s trust and urged ICE to halt all operations in Portland pending a full and independent investigation into the shooting.
“Violence in our community is devastating; these are not statistics, they are human beings,” he said at a press conference Thursday night. “Our community deserves answers, our community deserves accountability, and most of all, our community deserves peace.
“Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents. When the administration talks about using full force, we are seeing what it means in our streets.”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek skewered the gunfire as “another terrible unnecessary violent event instigated by the reckless agenda of the Trump administration.”
The Democrat also accused the Department of Homeland Security of endangering public safety.
“We do not need you,” Oregon state Sen. Kayse Jama said of federal immigration agents at the press conference.
“You’re not welcome here and you need to get the hell out of our community.”