The man who was shot and killed on New Year’s Eve by an off-duty U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in a Northridge apartment complex has been identified by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, and on social media, as Keith “Pooter” Porter.
Authorities have not yet released the full identity of the victim. Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, alongside Porter’s family and loved ones, are holding a community vigil in honor of Porter on Sunday. The remembrance will be held at the Village Pointe complex (17171 Roscoe Blvd., Northridge) where the fatal shooting took place in the final hour of Wednesday.
“This vigil is about remembering Keith as a human being, not a headline or a hashtag and standing with his family as they demand truth and accountability,” said a Black Lives Matter Los Angeles organizer in a statement. “An off-duty federal agent took his life, and the community deserves clear answers, full transparency and justice.”
Friends and family of Porter expressed sadness over the sudden loss on social media.
“This is the type of friend a lot of us wish we had,” Bryon Taylor wrote on Facebook, who described Porter as a funny, cool and down-to-earth person who loved life.
“I genuinely & whole heartedly loved this man. Pooter was an amazing friend to me. Whenever and for whatever I needed, he was there. This really really breaks my heart … Praying for his mother, children, and his entire family,” Mimi Love wrote on Facebook.
One Instagram user, who claimed to work with Porter at Home Depot, commented on his last Instagram post: “He is one of the most popular people in this store. He’s already a legend around here from just being him … This is beyond heartbreaking.”
Authorities have not yet identified the ICE agent responsible.
The New Year’s Eve death is under investigation by the Robbery-Homicide Division, which handles all shootings by officers from outside law enforcement agencies, said LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton.
Since the incident involves a federal agent, the case is also being handled by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Justice and Homeland Security Investigations.
After the incident, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the ICE agent was responding to an “active shooter situation” at his apartment complex.
However, the lack of injuries to anyone else at the scene and statements from neighbors have fueled speculation that Porter may have been ringing in the new year by shooting a gun into the air, a felony that is punishable by prison due to the high risk of death or injury.
Hamilton said it was “too early to tell” if that was the case.
Police detectives have not yet spoken to the ICE agent due to protocols on how deadly force investigations are conducted with federal law enforcement officers. “We won’t interview them for days,” said Hamilton.
After the incident, Homeland Security officials released a brief statement that said the agent opened fire “in order to protect his life and that of others.”
“He was forced to defensively use his weapon and exchanged gunfire with the shooter,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary of public affairs, adding that the ICE agent contacted police afterward.
According to a City News Service report, police officers responded to the Valley Village Pointe apartment complex at Roscoe Boulevard and Amestoy Avenue in Northridge at 11:37 p.m. Wednesday.
Early reports by the news service quoted an unnamed LAPD officer as saying the man who was killed was firing an assault rifle into the air. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
By Friday morning, a small makeshift memorial of votive candles and roses had sprung up outside of a ground-level apartment neighbors said was associated with the man who was killed. Nobody answered the door when a Times reporter knocked Friday.
Several neighbors expressed alarm at what happened, including one who said stray bullets had struck her apartment.
The Sunday vigil will provide a space for community members to honor Porter’s life, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles said in a statement, “and stand in solidarity with his family while calling for justice and accountability from federal authorities.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
