State police returning to Portland following deadly shooting

PORTLAND, Oregon — State Police will return to Portland to help local authorities after the fatal shooting of a man following clashes between U.S. President Donald Trump supporters and counterprotesters that led to an argument between the president and the mayor over who was to blame for the violence.

Protesters were back on the streets for a demonstration Sunday night outside a public safety building. Police declared an unlawful assembly and arrested 29 people. Two of those arrested had handguns and others had knives, police said.

Many in the group wore helmets, gas masks, goggles and external armour.

After Trump called Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, a “fool” and faulted him for allowing mayhem to proliferate in the liberal city, the visibly angry mayor lashed out during a Sunday news conference.

“That’s classic Trump. 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,” Wheeler said.

Trump on Monday tweeted: “Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn’t clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!” He did not describe any specifics on how that would happen.

The testy news conference followed a chaotic 24 hours that began Saturday evening when a caravan of about 600 vehicles packed with Trump supporters drove through the liberal city and was met with counterprotesters. Skirmishes broke out minutes later a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer was fatally shot.

Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson identified the victim as Aaron “Jay” Danielson.

It wasn’t clear if the shooting was related to the clashes, which have become a flashpoint in the national Black Lives Matter protests.

Police have released little information about the fatal shooting and Chief Chuck Lovell said Sunday that investigators are still gathering evidence.

Late Sunday, Gov. Kate Brown said State Police will return to Portland to help local police.