Two people were shot by federal agents Thursday afternoon in Portland’s Hazelwood neighborhood, according to the city’s police department.
The big picture: Details remained scant as of 4:40pm local time, but Portland police said in a statement that officers responded to a report of a shooting at 2:18pm, and that two unidentified individuals were hospitalized.
- A few minutes after the initial shooting call, at 2:24 p.m., police “received information that a man who had been shot was calling and requesting help in the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside.”
- It was not immediately clear which federal agency was involved.
- “Portland Police were not involved in the incident,” according to the statement.
What we know: Officers responded and found a male and female with gunshot wounds, according to the statement.
- The patients were taken to an unidentified hospital after officers “applied a tourniquet” and their conditions were unknown, police said.
- “Officers have determined the two people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents.”
- Police secured the scene and westbound East Burnside Street was closed between Northeast 145th Avenue and Northeast 148th Avenue, according to the statement.
The big picture: The shootings happened a day after an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, sparking protests across the country, and Portland leaders appealed for calm.
What they’re saying: “We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Police Chief Bob Day said in the statement. “We understand the 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.”
- Mayor Keith Wilson in a statement said he was calling on “every Portlander to represent our values and to show up with calm and purpose during this difficult time,” adding: “Portland does not respond to violence with violence.”
- Wilson called for all ICE operations in Portland to end “until a full investigation can be completed.”
- “We are still waiting for more information at this time, but this is part of a pattern of violence that we have seen too many times across our country,” District 1 Councilors Candace Avalos, Jamie Dunphy, and Loretta Smith said in statement.
- Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to Axios’ Thursday evening request for comment.
Of note: Portland police do not engage or assist in federal immigration enforcement under city regulations.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Source: Federal agents shoot man and woman in Portland, police say
