Police say the man fired a rifle near a Northridge apartment building shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
LOS ANGELES, CA — An off-duty U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a man late New Year’s Eve outside the officer’s Northridge apartment complex, authorities said Thursday, after neighbors reported a person firing a rifle as midnight approached.
The shooting, now under review by the Los Angeles Police Department and federal officials, unfolded in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood as crowds prepared to ring in the new year. Investigators said the armed man discharged rounds near an apartment building and then confronted the federal officer, prompting an exchange that left the man mortally wounded. No officers were injured. Officials did not immediately release the man’s name or age, and questions remain about what led up to the confrontation and how many shots were fired. The department’s Force Investigation Division opened a case, and the Department of Homeland Security notified its inspector general.
Police said 911 calls began around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday reporting a man with a long gun shooting into the air near the 17700 block of Roscoe Boulevard by Amestoy Avenue, an area that includes the Village Pointe Apartments and several small businesses. According to preliminary accounts, the off-duty ICE employee, assigned to enforcement operations in the region, heard the gunfire from inside his residence and went to investigate. At some point, the man with the rifle and the officer encountered each other outside the building. The man fired multiple rounds toward the officer, authorities said, and the officer returned fire. “The individual discharged shots and posed an immediate threat,” a Homeland Security spokesperson said in a brief statement. Paramedics later pronounced the man dead at the scene.
Officials said early evidence included shell casings from a rifle recovered near the shooting site and security camera footage that detectives are reviewing. The ICE officer’s handgun was seized as part of the standard use-of-force protocol. Investigators were still determining the number of rounds fired by each person and the exact distances involved. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to confirm the cause of death and identify the man, pending notification of relatives. Police did not report any injuries to bystanders, and no apartments were struck, though residents described hearing several sharp cracks in rapid succession just before midnight. The officer, who was not publicly named, was placed on routine administrative leave.
The late-night shooting drew a heavy response from patrol officers and detectives who taped off a courtyard and adjacent parking area stretching along Roscoe Boulevard. New Year’s Eve typically produces a surge of gunfire calls in Los Angeles as residents set off fireworks or fire celebratory shots; police said the Northridge reports stood out because callers described a person carrying a rifle and moving near homes. LAPD policy requires the department’s specialized Force Investigation Division to examine any police or law-enforcement shooting within the city, including incidents involving federal personnel living in Los Angeles. That review runs parallel to a DHS inquiry and, if warranted, a separate assessment by the county district attorney’s office to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate.
The incident comes after a series of high-profile cases involving federal immigration officers and firearms in recent months, increasing scrutiny on how use-of-force rules apply when agents are off duty. Northridge, a neighborhood anchored by California State University, Northridge, has seen sporadic gun-related calls tied to holiday celebrations but few fatal shootings in residential courtyards. Wednesday’s exchange unfolded within a warren of garden-style buildings where sight lines are short and sound echoes off stucco walls, factors detectives said they will weigh as they reconstruct the sequence. Records show LAPD has investigated multiple celebratory gunfire complaints during New Year’s festivities citywide in prior years, but officials emphasized that firing a weapon into the air is illegal and can cause injury when bullets fall.
Authorities outlined several next steps. Detectives planned formal interviews with the ICE officer and nearby residents, review of apartment security video and doorbell cameras, and a search for additional ballistic evidence along Roscoe Boulevard and Amestoy Avenue. The county medical examiner will issue preliminary findings after the autopsy, typically within days, followed by a full report later. The district attorney’s office will be notified and could review the case when LAPD submits its file. DHS will conduct an internal administrative review while the officer remains on leave. Officials said the deceased man’s identity will be released by the medical examiner once family members are notified. LAPD said it would provide a public update when investigators have a clearer timeline, potentially as early as next week.
Residents described a jarring scene as New Year’s Eve celebrations gave way to sirens and helicopters. “We heard three pops, then a pause, then more,” said Maricela Torres, who lives on the block and had been watching television with her children. “When the police came, they told us to stay inside.” Another neighbor, Adam Kline, said he saw officers guiding people away from the courtyard as detectives marked evidence with yellow placards. “There were families coming back from parties, and suddenly the whole street was flashing red and blue,” Kline said. A security guard at a nearby strip mall said he sheltered behind a pillar when the first shots rang out and watched officers secure the driveway entrance minutes later.
As of Thursday afternoon, police said the investigation was in its early stages, with no arrests beyond the fatal encounter and no outstanding suspects. Detectives expected to release the man’s name after confirmation by the medical examiner and family notification. LAPD said it would announce the next briefing date once additional evidence is processed.
Author note: Last updated January 2, 2026.