Outside the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles, the family of Keith Porter rallied Wednesday and demanded prosecutors file criminal charges against the off-duty immigration agent who shot and killed him on New Year’s Eve. Relatives and supporters insisted Porter was celebrating and firing shots into the air, not threatening anyone, when he was killed outside his Northridge apartment complex on Dec. 31, 2025. The demonstration came as the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed it is reviewing the case.
At the news conference, family members, joined by Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and the NAACP, urged District Attorney Nathan Hochman to act quickly and prosecute the agent. “There ought to be one standard of justice,” community activist Baba Akili said, while Porter’s cousin Jsané Tyler told reporters the family “will not rest” until the shooter is arrested. The District Attorney’s Office told CBS Los Angeles that it has received the file and is reviewing the evidence.
What the federal agency says
The Department of Homeland Security has characterized the shooting as an “active shooter situation,” saying the off-duty officer left his unit, went down to the ground level and encountered a person he says pointed a weapon at him. According to the Los Angeles Times, the agent later identified in court filings as Brian Palacios told investigators he fired defensively after the person allegedly shot at him “at least three rounds.” The Times and other outlets have located the shooting at the Village Pointe apartment complex in the 17700 block of Roscoe Boulevard in Northridge.
Community rallies and oversight pressure
Porter’s death has sparked vigils, pointed public comment at police-oversight meetings and a petition demanding the agent’s arrest, as neighbors push for answers about what exactly happened that night. Supporters told the Los Angeles Police Commission they want the agent publicly named, arrested and prosecuted, a push documented by NBC Los Angeles. Local outlets, including Hoodline’s coverage of an early Northridge vigil, documented a candlelight gathering at the Village Pointe complex where Porter lived and died.
Allegations in court records
Court documents unsealed in January lay out allegations of troubling past conduct by the agent named in the filings, including claims of physical abuse of his children and racist language toward Black and Latino people. The agent’s attorney has denied those accusations. Reporting by the Los Angeles Times stated that those filings helped identify Palacios as the officer, noting that he lives in the same complex where Porter was killed.
Legal review and what’s next
The District Attorney’s Office has said prosecutors will “conduct a thorough analysis” to determine whether criminal charges can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and that reviews of officer-involved killings can take months. The LAPD has told officials it completed its roughly six-month investigation and submitted the file to prosecutors, according to MyNewsLA. MyNewsLA also reports the District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case, while Porter’s attorneys say they will continue to press for transparency and may seek independent oversight if prosecutors decline to file charges.
