Shocking New Development in Case of ICE Agent Killing Keith Porter Jr. on New Years Eve

(Updated on 01/21/2026 @ 12:10 p.m.: The ICE agent accused of killing Keith Porter Jr. has been identified)

Following the New Years Eve death of Keith “Pooter” Porter Jr. at the hands of an off-duty ICE agent, more questions are circling as Porter’s family demand justice. Now, the identity of the ICE officer has been identified.

Newly filed court documents confirmed officer Brian Palacios lived in the same apartment complex where 43-year-old Porter was shot and killed on Dec. 31. The tragedy occurred days before an ICE agent in Minneapolis fired multiple rounds into Renee Good’s SUV, according to ABC 7 News.

His death marked the first recorded account of an immigration officer killing a U.S. citizen under President Donald Trump. Still, many folks didn’t learn about his story until after learning about Good’s.

Both Porter, 43, and Good, 37, were shot and killed by ICE officials in front of multiple witnesses. Both victims had families and children. And both communities are demanding transparency and a full investigation into their deaths. The differences between the two fatal incidents are jarring, which has prompted pause from media outlets who aren’t sure about how to cover Porter’s story.

Journalist Dr. Yanick Lamb, who is a Howard University professor, pointed to the media being spread too thin for the ongoing uncertainty. “There’s so much going on that it’s causing distractions,” Lamb said. In less than a week, the capture of the Venezuelan president, anniversary of the Capitol Insurrection and Jeffrey Epstein drama all flooded the news.

“It’s by design. [President Donald] Trump is doing a lot of things to kind of unnerve people but also stretch people to the their limits with trying to cover everything,” Lamb continued.

This includes stories like Porter’s, which took a tragic turn just before midnight on Dec. 31. According to ABC 7, the 43-year-old was at his Los Angeles apartment complex observing the holiday by shooting an AK-15 styled rifle into the air.

Witnesses denied Porter aimed his weapon at anyone or posed a threat. Still, the gunfire caught the attention of one neighbor– officer Palacios– in the complex, who just so happened to be an ICE agent. Palacios allegedly left his apartment to investigate the gunfire while also in possession of his own department-issued firearm, according to LAPD. When he spotted Porter, a brief verbal exchange occurred before the unthinkable happened.

Los Angeles police said the agent identified himself before ordering Porter to put down his gun. When the Black man failed to comply, Palacios opened fire, according to police. By the time LAPD arrived to the scene, Porter was dead.

According to documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Palacios has a history of abuse allegations. The agent allegedly whipped his sons with a belt and made several homophobic slurs and racist comments about Black and Latinx people. He was also reported for allegedly bringing a gun to a youth sports game. 

LAPD alleged Porter fired three rounds at Palacios right before the agent returned fire on Dec. 31. It’s unclear if the officer was injured as a result of Porter’s weapon. Now, civil rights activists and Black Lives Matter leaders are demanding accountability and justice after Porter’s death.

“You don’t just get to murder people, because you don’t like what they’re doing or how they are doing or how they’re celebrating,” the co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles– which Porter was a member of– Melina Abdullah said. ICE officials claimed the 43-year-old was an “active shooter,” but this is a label rejected by Project Islamic Hope and other civil rights groups.

ICE similarly labeled the Minneapolis victim as a “domestic terrorist,” who was trying to run over agent Johnathan Ross. As ICE presence continues to fuel widespread tension across the country, both cases are more blows to the eroding trust between agents and the American people. Over 53 percent of Americans disapprove of ICE’s handling of the ongoing immigration crisis, according to an YouGov poll.

Black Lives Matter Los Angeles organized a vigil to honor Porter, according to the Los Angeles Times. “We want to recognize that one of the worst imaginable injustices has been committed, and there will be time for us to protest,” Abdullah said during the vigil. ” This is a time for grief. … We are not going to be quiet.”