Luis David Nino-Moncada, who was shot and wounded by a border patrol agent during an immigration stop in Portland last week, has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault against a federal officer and damaging federal property. The 26-year-old, of Venezuelan descent, entered his plea on Wednesday after being indicted on Tuesday.
The Department of Homeland Security alleges that Nino-Moncada entered the US illegally and used his vehicle as a weapon when agents attempted to apprehend him. The shooting occurred the day after a federal officer shot and killed Renee Good in Minnesota, sparking outrage from local officials in Oregon who called for more transparency.
Federal investigators say there is no surveillance or video footage of the Portland shooting or the events leading up to it. Border agents told investigators that Nino-Moncada put his truck in reverse and repeatedly slammed into an unoccupied rental car used by agents, smashing its headlights and knocking off its front bumper. An officer fired two shots as Nino-Moncada fled the scene.
Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, a Venezuelan woman who was in the passenger seat and also shot, was taken to an ICE detention facility after being released from hospital. The DHS accused both individuals of being affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, though Portland's police chief said they were not identified as suspects in a related investigation.
In the days following the shootings, large protests erupted across the country against the tactics of federal immigration officers. The Trump administration has defended its agents, claiming federal immunity and citing a rise in assaults against officers, though evidence for such claims has been questioned.
