Portland’s police chief said Friday that the two people shot by a Customs and Border Patrol officer on Thursday had ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, backing up an earlier statement from the Trump administration, as reported by Bloomberg.
Chief Bob Day noted that the man and woman were in stable condition at a local hospital, where they remained under federal custody, according to the report.
He said the woman was previously arrested for prostitution, and the gang connection came to light from a police investigation of a July shooting.
At times blinking back tears, Day said he acknowledged “the national narrative and the intensity of it” and would withhold further judgment on the actions of the federal agents until the investigation of the event was complete, according to Bloomberg report.
“This information in no way is meant to to disparage or to condone or support or agree with any of the actions that occurred yesterday,” Day said.
“But it is important that we stay committed to the rule of law, that we stay committed to the facts, that we stay a trustworthy and legitimate police department for all Portlanders.”
The Portland shooting came the day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a US citizen in Minneapolis in her vehicle.
Democratic leaders have sharply criticized the way Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, characterized her car as threatening the agent they say was acting in self defense.
The Minneapolis shooting set off protests in cities across the country, which continued after the Portland incident. Day said several hundred people demonstrated Thursday night in Portland with “an increased amount of energy and intensity.”
Last year, Trump labelled Tren de Aragua a terrorist group and used a wartime statute to send alleged members to a mega-prison in El Salvador without due process, a move that sparked multiple legal challenges.
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