Oregon’s top law enforcement officials have created a new tip line for people to provide information about the Thursday shooting of a Venezuelan couple by a federal agent in Southeast Portland, the Oregon Department of Justice announced Saturday.
At least one U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer shot Luis David Nino-Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras around 2:15 p.m. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said they are suspected Tren de Aragua gang associates and entered the country illegally.
The shooting stemmed from a traffic stop targeting Zambrano-Contreras, Homeland Security officials said. Both survived the shooting and were hospitalized shortly after.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced a formal investigation into the shooting Thursday — the first such investigation since Oregon officials announced in November that they would prosecute federal agents who use force “beyond the reasonable scope of their duties.”
The new tip line, 971-673-3900, “is intended to provide community members with a secure, direct way to share information relevant to (Thursday’s shooting) so DOJ can assess the facts and determine whether any violations of the law occurred,” spokesperson Jenny Hansson said in a statement.
Homeland Security said agents were trying to make a traffic stop targeting Zambrano-Contreras, who was a passenger in a truck in a parking lot near Adventist Health hospital in Southeast Portland.
After the agents identified themselves, Nino-Moncado, who was driving, “weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” a statement from the agency said.
“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement. “The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene.”
The Oregon DOJ’s decision to create a tip line could reflect actual or anticipated tensions between state and federal law enforcement investigations. Such tensions would not be without precedent, as federal officials denied Minnesota state officials access to evidence in the Jan. 7 killing of Renée Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
“Our responsibility at this point is to make sure the facts are gathered carefully and lawfully, and that the integrity of the process is protected,” Hansson said in a written response to questions. “That includes working through the legal realities of parallel federal investigations and access to information.”
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