PORTLAND, Ore. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents shot two people in Portland on Thursday afternoon, marking a violent escalation in a city already gripped by protests and political paralysis.
The shooting, which occurred near East Burnside, was confirmed by the FBI’s Portland field office just before 5:00 p.m. PT. While details on the condition of the two individuals remain unverified, the confirmation validates earlier “active shooter” reports that had initially been dismissed by some as social media rumors.
The incident appears to be the catalyst for the abrupt security lockdown at Portland City Hall earlier in the hour. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney had forced the City Council into recess during a deadlock over leadership votes, citing an unspecified “security concern.” It is now clear that concern was a lethal force incident involving federal agents just miles away.
This shooting pours gasoline on an already explosive situation. Large crowds had already gathered downtown to protest yesterday’s killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. With federal agents now involved in a second shooting in less than 24 hours this time on Portland soil, local officials are bracing for a night of severe unrest.
The FBI has assumed jurisdiction over the investigation, a move that parallels the federal takeover of the Minneapolis case and is likely to further inflame tensions with local state investigators and city leadership.