A shooting involving federal agents left two people hospitalized on Thursday afternoon in Portland, Oregon. As investigators worked to sort out what happened, federal officials and Portland police issued statements that differed on key details about how the incident unfolded.
Portland Police Bureau said officers were dispatched at 2:18 p.m. to the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street on a report of a shooting and confirmed federal agents had been involved. Police emphasized Portland officers were not involved in the incident itself.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop at 2:19 p.m. and that the passenger of the vehicle was the target of the stop. DHS described the passenger as a Venezuelan national it alleged is affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent Portland shooting. DHS also said the driver was believed to be a member of Tren de Aragua.
DHS said that when agents identified themselves, the driver used the vehicle in an attempt to run over law enforcement personnel, prompting an agent to fire what DHS called a defensive shot. DHS said the driver fled with the passenger and described the situation as evolving, according to Department of Homeland Security.
The statement from the Portland police did not include anything about an attempted assault on agents, did not name any suspects, and did not indicate a targeted car stop, according to Portland Police Bureau.
At 2:24 p.m., Portland police said they received information that a man who had been shot was calling for help near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside Street. Officers located a man and a woman with what police described as apparent gunshot wounds, applied a tourniquet and summoned medics. Both were taken to a hospital, and their conditions were not immediately known, Portland police said, according to Portland Police Bureau.
Police said investigators secured both the Main Street and Burnside scenes while the case is reviewed, and they closed westbound lanes of East Burnside Street between Northeast 145th and 148th avenues, according to Portland Police Bureau.
“We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Police Chief Bob Day said, as quoted by Portland Police Bureau, urging residents to remain calm as investigators work to learn more.
Officials said that more information would be released as the investigation continues.
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