Portland shooting suspect killed
Man accused in death of right-wing activist is slain as authorities try to arrest him.
WASHINGTON — A man suspected of fatally shooting a member of a right-wing group in Portland, Ore., last week after a caravan of President Trump supporters rode through downtown was killed Thursday as federal investigators moved in to arrest him, a senior Justice Department official told the Associated Press.
Michael Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him in Lacey, Wash., the official said. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night, the official said.
Federal agents from the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service had located Reinoehl on Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. During the encounter, Reinoehl was shot by a law enforcement officer who was working on the task force, the official said.
The official said Reinoehl had pulled a gun during the encounter and was shot by law enforcement. The official could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force, composed of deputy marshals, other federal agents and local law enforcement officers from a variety of agencies, is responsible for apprehending high-risk suspects including those accused of violent crimes.
Reinoehl had described himself in a social media post as “100% ANTIFA,” suggested the tactics of counterprotesters amounted to “warfare,” and had been shot at one protest and cited at another for possessing a loaded gun in a public place, resisting arrest and interfering with police.
He had been a regular presence at anti-racism protests in Portland.
Reinoehl also was wanted on a warrant in Baker County in eastern Oregon, where court records show he skipped a hearing related to a June case in which he was charged with driving under the influence of controlled substances, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and unlawful possession of a firearm.