Portland, (Samajweekly) Police have shot dead a man suspected of fatally shooting a right-wing activist during protests in the US city of Portland in Oregon state, officials have said.
The victim, Michael Reinoehl, 48, was being investigated for the killing of Aaron Danielson, a supporter of President Donald Trump during last weekend’s tension in the city, the BBC reported.
A warrant for Reinoehl’s arrest was issued and he was located by agents on Thursday in Lacey, Washington about 193 km north of Portland.
Thurston County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Ray Brady said it was not clear why the suspect was in Lacey and he did not believe Reinoehl lived at the address.
Lieutenant Brady said the police were conducting surveillance when the suspect left the apartment and got into a vehicle in the road.
“There was a confrontation between the officers that were on scene and the subject.
“The information we have at this time is that the subject was armed. There were shots that were fired into the vehicle and the subject fled from the vehicle, at which time there was additional shots that were fired,” the BBC quoted Lieutenant Brady as saying.
He said four officers fired their weapons.
According to the BBC report, Reinoehl was a regular participant in Portland’s anti-racism demonstrations and was part of the protesters’ security team that aimed to protect demonstrators from potential agitators.
Several hundred protesters gathered in Portland following the shooting on Thursday and one sign in the street outside a police station.
Reinoehl’s killing came amid fights between the Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland.
