ICE agent who killed L.A. man allegedly threatened criminal charges over being identified

Court filings in a custody dispute identified Brian Palacios, an off-duty ICE agent, as the person who shot and killed Keith Porter Jr. on New Year’s Eve in a Northridge apartment complex. A restraining order application filed by Omar Escorcia, the ex-husband of Palacios’ girlfriend, alleged that Palacios threatened criminal prosecution during a phone call after Escorcia’s name was made public. The Los Angeles Police Department continues investigating the case. Police recovered a rifle from Porter on the night he was killed, and some friends suggested Porter may have been firing into the air to celebrate. Federal authorities initially said Palacios was responding to a suspected active shooter. Palacios’ attorney said the shooting was self-defense, while Porter’s family maintained he posed no threat.

"Court filings in a custody dispute identified Brian Palacios as the off-duty ICE agent responsible for the fatal shooting of Keith Porter Jr. on New Year's Eve. According to a restraining order application filed by the ex-husband of Palacios' girlfriend, the agent said in a phone call that ICE was pursuing a criminal investigation over his name being made public. Palacios' attorney has said her client shot Porter in self-defense. Porter's family has maintained he posed no threat."

"An ICE agent, Brian Palacios, was off duty when he shot Keith Porter Jr. in a Northridge apartment complex. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Police said a rifle was recovered from Porter on the night he was killed. Some of Porter's friends have suggested he was shooting the weapon into the air to celebrate the new year. Federal authorities said in the immediate aftermath of the incident that the ICE agent was responding to a suspected "active shooter" when he opened fire."

"On May 21, Omar Escorcia, the ex-husband of Palacios' girlfriend, filed a petition that sought to bar Palacios from being around two children with whom he had shared custody. Escorcia alleged in the restraining order petition that Palacios' involvement in the shooting made him too dangerous to be around the kids. A judge granted the order on a temporary basis on May 22, according to Escorcia's attorney, Michelle E. Diaz."

Read at Los Angeles Times