Suspect in Portland Death Killed by Authorities

Michael Reinoehl, suspected of killing Aaron Danielson, reportedly shot as task force closed in
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 4, 2020 2:04 AM CDT
Suspect in Portland Death Killed by Authorities: Source
Officials work at the area late Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Lacey Wash., where a man suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Ore., the week before was killed as investigators moved in to arrest him.   (AP Photo/Ted Warren)

A man suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown was killed Thursday as investigators moved in to arrest him, the US Marshals Service said Friday. The man, Michael Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him in Lacey, Washington, about 120 miles north of Portland. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night,. Federal agents from the FBI and the US 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 federal task force, a senior Justice Department official told the AP.

The official said Reinoehl had pulled a gun during the encounter. The US Marshals Service said initial reports indicate the suspect produced a firearm. The US Marshals Service fugitive task forces, comprised of deputy marshals, other federal agents, and local law enforcement officers from a variety of agencies, are responsible for apprehending violent felons and other wanted suspects. Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt. Ray Brady said four members of the fugitive task force fired their weapons and that investigators haven’t yet determined how many rounds were fired. Reinoehl had described himself in a social media post as “100% ANTIFA,” suggested the tactics of counter-protesters amounted to “warfare,” and had been shot at one protest and cited for having a gun at another. (He had been been a regular presence at anti-racism demonstrations in Portland.)

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