The Portland shooting, which Border Patrol agents say followed an attempt by Nino-Moncada to use a pickup truck as a weapon, came one day after a federal agent fatally shot a driver in Minneapolis and has drawn protests over the use of force during federal immigration enforcement operations. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman set a five-day jury trial for March.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Luis David Nino-Moncada, the man shot and wounded by a Border Patrol agent during an immigration stop in Portland last week, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to aggravated assault on a federal employee and damaging federal property. His public defender entered the plea on his behalf during a hearing in U.S. District Court.
Nino-Moncada was indicted on the charges Tuesday and remains in custody. A release hearing is scheduled for next week. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman set a five-day jury trial for March.
The Shooting
A Border Patrol agent shot and wounded Nino-Moncada and his passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, while the two were in a pickup truck in the parking lot of a Portland medical complex. The shooting came one day after a federal agent fatally shot a driver in Minneapolis and prompted protests over federal agents’ tactics during immigration enforcement operations.
The FBI said in a court filing that it found no surveillance or other video of the shooting.
Agents’ Account
Border Patrol agents told investigators that Nino-Moncada put the truck in reverse and repeatedly slammed into an unoccupied car the agents had rented, smashing its headlights and knocking off its front bumper. FBI Special Agent Daniel Jeffreys wrote in an affidavit supporting the charges that Nino-Moncada used the vehicle as a weapon. The agents feared for their own safety and that of the public, the affidavit said.
Gang Affiliation Claims
The Department of Homeland Security said the two people entered the U.S. illegally and were affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Portland Police Chief Bob Day said last week that the pair had “some nexus” to the gang. Day said they came to the attention of police during an investigation of a July shooting believed to have been carried out by gang members, though neither was identified as a suspect in that case.
Zambrano-Contreras was previously arrested for prostitution, Day said, and Nino-Moncada was present when a search warrant was served in connection with that case.
Status of Passenger
Zambrano-Contreras was held Wednesday at a private immigration detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, according to an online detainee locator maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She faces a charge of illegal entry into the U.S., filed by federal prosecutors in Texas last week.