Suspect in Portland protest killing dies in hail of gunfire

LACEY, Wash. — A man who said he believed a civil war was coming to America and was suspected of killing a right-wing protester in Portland, Ore., died in a hail of police gunfire in neighboring Washington state, officials and witnesses said.

The killing of Michael Forest Reinoehl shook a quiet suburb of Olympia, Wash., Thursday evening, with bystanders ducking for cover behind automobiles from dozens of gunshots as four agents serving on a U.S. Marshals Service task force opened fire at Reinoehl.

Reinoehl, 48, was armed with a semi-automatic handgun but authorities have not determined if he fired any shots, said Lt. Ray Brady of the Thurston County Sheriff ’s Department.

In a videotaped interview broadcast the evening of his death by Vice News, Reinoehl came close to admitting he shot Aaron “Jay”

Danielson, a supporter of a right-wing group, on Aug. 29 after a caravan of President Donald Trump backers drove their pickup trucks through downtown Portland.

Reinoehl said he “had no choice” but to do what he did because he thought he and a friend were about to be stabbed.

Federal agents from the

FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service had located Reinoehl on Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest and Reinoehl pulled a gun during the encounter, a senior Justice Department official in Washington said. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Beth Nakamura / Associated Press Michael Reinoehl is seen during a protest in front of Mayor Ted Wheeler's residence on Aug. 28 in Portland, Ore.