LOS ANGELES, Feb 3 - Lawyers representing the family of a California man shot dead outside his apartment on New Year’s Eve are calling for an outside investigation into the killing.
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump told reporters on Tuesday that family members of Keith Porter Jr., 43, a father of two who was gunned down on January 31, lack confidence that the Los Angeles Police Department will conduct a fair and transparent inquiry into the shooting.
Details surrounding Porter’s death have been limited. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Porter was identified as a suspected "active shooter" and was killed following an exchange of gunfire with an off-duty ICE agent who confronted him. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the officer, whose identity has not been released by the agency, lived in the same apartment complex as Porter and was "protecting his community." Reuters has not independently verified the DHS account, and the Los Angeles Police Department has provided few public details about the incident.
At a news conference, attorney Jamal Tooson said the LAPD was slow to provide answers. "It has been over a month since Keith Porter’s death, and we still haven’t gotten meaningful answers," Tooson said.
Tooson and Crump urged California Attorney General Rob Bonta to open an independent investigation into the death, drawing parallels to the recent fatal shootings of two other U.S. citizens - Renee Good and Alex Pretti - by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
In response to a request for comment, the attorney general’s office issued a statement declining to "confirm or deny any potential or ongoing investigation."
Attorneys for Porter’s family said the three killings, taken together, indicate federal immigration officers are "acting with immunity and a license to kill," though Tooson noted that Porter’s death was not connected to the deportation enforcement activity ordered by President Donald Trump in Minneapolis.
Media accounts and advocacy groups have offered additional narratives about the sequence of events. The Los Angeles Times, citing friends and advocates, reported that Porter was firing a gun into the air to mark the new year - an act police discourage because of danger to bystanders, though some celebrate this way despite its illegality. Black Lives Matter issued a press release last month that described a version of events similar to the Times account, saying that Porter’s celebratory gunfire led the ICE-employed neighbor to intervene.
According to the BLM statement, the off-duty agent re-entered his apartment, donned tactical gear, retrieved an ICE-issued firearm and then stepped back outside, where he shot Porter. At Tuesday’s press conference, Tooson said there were multiple people outside firing weapons at the time, but after canvassing the neighborhood he had not found any witness who recalled seeing Porter firing a weapon.
Tooson has not disputed previous reporting that Porter was in possession of a rifle, but he has said he does not believe there was any exchange of gunfire between Porter and the agent, according to earlier comments reported by the Los Angeles Times.
The family’s lawyer also said an autopsy revealed Porter was shot three times, which Tooson said matched the sound of three gunshots on an audio recording of the incident that has been provided to investigators.
In an email, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said the LAPD is investigating the shooting and that the DA’s Justice System Integrity Division would conduct a routine review of the case, but the office declined to provide further comment.
The family’s request to the state attorney general reflects continuing questions about the facts of the encounter, the role of the off-duty federal agent and the adequacy of the local investigative response. Attorneys for Porter’s relatives have pressed for greater transparency and for an inquiry that they say would not be encumbered by potential conflicts or limitations they perceive in the ongoing LAPD probe.
As the investigation proceeds, public accounts differ on key points - whether Porter was firing a weapon, how many people were discharging firearms that night, whether any exchange of gunfire occurred, and precisely what actions the off-duty agent took before and after confronting Porter. Officials and advocates have pointed to limited public information from law enforcement and to differing accounts from witnesses and organizations active in the community.
For now, officials at DHS, the LAPD and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office have offered only limited public commentary. The family’s legal team has provided investigators with an audio recording and the results of an autopsy; they continue to seek a separate, independent review by the state attorney general.