What is known about the Border Patrol traffic stop shooting in Portland and the video evidence

Incident in east Portland remains under federal investigation

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation in Portland on Jan. 8, 2026, ended with two people shot and wounded during what federal authorities described as a targeted vehicle stop in the Hazelwood neighborhood. The shooting occurred in a parking lot near Adventist Health Portland, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation into the agent-involved shooting.

Authorities have publicly described the encounter as unfolding quickly as agents approached a pickup truck during the stop. The driver, Luis David Niño-Moncada, and passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, were both struck by gunfire. Both survived and received hospital treatment before being taken into federal custody.

Competing accounts of what happened at the vehicle

Federal court records and law-enforcement statements describe agents converging on the truck in unmarked vehicles. In those filings, agents said the driver reversed and repeatedly collided with an unoccupied vehicle associated with the federal operation, and that an agent then fired. In the same body of public reporting, at least one witness account has described agents surrounding the truck, striking the window, and shots being fired as the vehicle moved away.

Portland Police Bureau officers responded after the gunfire and secured the scene. Public reporting has also indicated that, by the time local officers arrived, the involved federal agents were no longer present at the location.

Video questions: no body cameras, shifting picture on surveillance footage

In the days following the shooting, a key issue was whether any video captured the moment shots were fired. Early filings said investigators had not located surveillance or other video and that none of the agents involved were recording body-worn camera footage.

Later court filings described the recovery of four security videos from a nearby facility. Prosecutors have characterized the footage as providing only partial views of the incident. As of late January, no video of the Portland shooting had been publicly released.

Charges filed in federal court

Niño-Moncada has been charged federally with aggravated assault on a federal employee with a deadly or dangerous weapon and with depredation of federal property. He has pleaded not guilty and has remained in custody as the case proceeds.

Zambrano-Contreras has faced a federal misdemeanor charge related to unlawful entry. Public reporting has indicated she entered a guilty plea on that count and is expected to be removed from the United States.

Key facts that remain unresolved

• The precise sequence of movements and commands immediately before shots were fired.
• How much of the encounter is visible in recovered surveillance videos and what they conclusively show.
• Whether additional audio, dash video, or bystander recordings exist beyond what has been disclosed in court.

The investigation into the agent-involved shooting is continuing, and the pending criminal cases are expected to further shape what becomes publicly known about the stop.