Mayor, Trump trade blame after fatal shooting

Mayor, Trump trade blame after supporter of rightwing Patriot Prayer group is shot

PORTLAND, ORE. » The mayor of Portland and President Donald Trump engaged in a real-time argument Sunday as the president sent a flurry of critical tweets about Ted Wheeler as the mayor was holding a press conference about the fatal shooting of a rightwing supporter in his city the night before.

After Trump called Wheeler, a Democrat, a “fool” and blamed him for creating the toxic environment that led to the shooting in the liberal city, the visibly angry mayor lashed out at the president, addressing him through the TV cameras.

“That’s classic Trump,” Wheeler said. “Mr. President, how can you think that a comment like that, if you’re watching this, is in any way helpful? It’s an aggressive stance, it is not collaborative. I certainly reached out, I believe in a collaborative manner, by saying earlier that you need to do your part and I need to do my part and then we both need to be held accountable.

“Let’s work together. Wouldn’t that be a message? Donald Trump and Ted Wheeler working together to help move this country forward. Why don’t we try that for a change?”

The testy news conference followed a chaotic and volatile 24 hours in

Portland that began when a caravan of about 600 vehicles packed with Trump supporters drove through Portland and was met with counterprotesters. Skirmishes broke out, and about 15 minutes after the caravan left the city, a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer was fatally shot.

It wasn’t clear if the shooting was related to the clashes between Trump supporters and counterprotesters in Portland, which has become a flashpoint in the national Black Lives Matter protests since George Floyd was killed in May.

Police have released little information, and Chief Chuck Lovell said Sunday that investigators are still gathering evidence, including surveillance video from area businesses.

Earlier Sunday, the agency released a plea for any information related to the killing, including videos, photos or eyewitness accounts.

Joey Gibson, head of Patriot Prayer, said the man who was shot to death Saturday night was a supporter of his group and a “good friend,” although he did not identify him.

Patriot Prayer is based in Washington state and was founded in 2016. Since early 2017, its supporters have been coming to Portland to hold periodic rallies for Trump, ratcheting up tensions in the city long before the national outrage over Floyd’s death sparked more than three months of protests here.

Portland has seen nearly 100 consecutive nights of Black Lives Matter protests, and many have ended with vandalism to federal and city property, including police precincts, a county jail, the federal courthouse and City Hall.

In July, Trump sent more than 100 agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to safeguard federal property — a move that reinvigorated the protests. Thousands of people clashed with the federal agents each night for two weeks, turning a twoblock area of the city into what felt like a war zone as agents lobbed tear gas canisters and pepper spray at the crowds and some protesters tossed fireworks at the agents and shined lasers in their eyes.

SEAN MEAGHER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Portland, Ore., Mayor Ted Wheeler calls for an end to violence in the city during a news conference Sunday, a day after a demonstrator was shot and killed.