Federal agents reportedly killed Portland shooting suspect Michael Reinoehl
Federal agents shot and killed Michael Reinoehl, the main suspect in the fatal shooting of a member of a far-right group on Saturday night, while trying to arrest him Thursday, The New York Times and other news organizations report. Portland police had issued a warrant for Reinoehl's arrest earlier in the day. When officers on a federal fugitive task force tracked him down to an apartment in Lacey, Washington, Reinoehl pulled a gun, a senior Justice Department official told The Associated Press. Witnesses told the Times that Reinoehl was getting into a vehicle to escape.
Reinoehl, 48, more or less confessed Thursday to shooting Aaron "Jay" Danielson in a confrontation after supporters of President Trump drove trucks through downtown Portland, but he insisted he was acting in self-defense. "You know, lots of lawyers suggest that I shouldn't even be saying anything, but I feel it's important that the world at least gets a little bit of what's really going on," Reinoehl told a freelance videographer for Vice News Tonight. "I had no choice. I mean, I, I had a choice. I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color. But I wasn't going to do that."
Reinoehl, a frequent participant in the months-long Portland protests against police violence and racial injustice, told Vice News he was a supporter of anti-fascist groups but not an antifa "member." Video of the shooting appears to show Danielson, who belonged to the Patriot Prayer group, drawing a can of bear mace and spraying Reinoehl and another person before Reinoehl fired. Chandler Pappas, who was with Danielson when he was shot, told Fox News on Thursday he thinks they were targeted for wearing Patriot Prayer hats.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The clashes in Portland between anti-racism protesters and right-wing counter-protesters have escalated over the summer, and Reinoehl, who helped provide security for the protesters, was shot in the arm breaking up a fight in July. On Aug. 15, a right-wing demonstrators hired two shots from inside his vehicle, and a week later another counter-protesters pulled out a gun during a clash. Oregon's governor and a broad array of civil groups urged a stop to the violence on Thursday. You can watch Reinoehl's interview and Vice News' attempt to put it in context below. Peter Weber
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black men
Speed Read The former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Michigan shooter's dad guilty of manslaughter
speed read James Crumbley failed to prevent his son from killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Shooting at Chiefs victory rally kills 1, injures 21
Speed Read Gunfire broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade in Missouri
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Court rules Josef Fritzl can be moved to normal prison
Speed Read 'Notorious' criminal, now 88, was convicted for raping, committing incest and imprisoning his daughter
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Post Office scandal casts new light on Robin Garbutt murder conviction
Speed Read Supporters claim faulty Horizon evidence was key to guilty verdict but victim's mother accuses former postmaster of jumping on bandwagon
By The Week UK Published
-
Uvalde parents want indictments after DOJ's scathing school shooting report
Speed Read The Justice Department's damning review of the May 2022 school shooting in Texas details 'cascading failures,' but families of the victims want justice
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Girls left 'at the mercy' of Rochdale sex abuse gangs, says 'damning' review
Speed Read Victims 'badly failed' by council and police, said Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published