LACEY, Wash. (AP) – A man suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week was killed late Thursday as a fugitive task force tried to arrest him in Lacey, Washington.
The U.S. Marshals Service said Friday that 48-year-old Michael Forest Reinoehl, a known antifa member, was killed as a federal task force attempted an arrest.
Authorities say Reinoehl was a suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was fatally shot in downtown Portland. He was identified as a supporter of Patriot Prayer, a militia organization led by Camas resident Joey Gibson.
The shooting came on the heels of a pro and anti-Trump demonstrations, triggered by a 600 vehicle caravan of Trump supporters who traveled miles to where social justice demonstrations were happening.
Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt. Ray Brady says four members of the task force fired their weapons, including members from local city police and county sheriff’s departments.
Remember Aaron “Jay” Danielson. Taken before his time. Murdered by a terrorist. pic.twitter.com/TmNbulwrhn
— Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) September 4, 2020
Vice News talked with Reinoehl just hours before his death. He said shooting a member of the Patriot Prayer felt like “the start of a civil war.” He added, “I am 100% anti-fascist. I’m not a member of Antifa. I’m not a member of anything.”
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(Copyright 2020 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from Vice News)
