Michael Reinoehl: Portland shooting suspect was gunned down by police without any warning, claims witness
The man who allegedly killed a Trump supporter in Portland was gunned down by cops without any warning, a witness has claimed. According to a report by The Oregonian, 48-year-old Michael Forest Reinoehl was walking to his car outside an apartment complex in Lacey, Washington, where he was hiding from the authorities, when a joint federal fugitive task force pulled up and opened fire on him, according to witness.
“Officers shot multiple rapid-fire rounds at Reinoehl before issuing a brief ‘stop’ command, quickly followed by more rapid-fire shooting by additional officers,” witness Nathaniel Dingess, 39, said of the September 3 incident in a statement released by his lawyer. Dingess has claimed Reinoehl was holding a cellphone as he walked to the vehicle but that he did not see him wielding a firearm. Following the shooting, police said a handgun was found on Reinoehl. However, police did not clarify if he had pulled the gun on them, per the outlet.
The shooting took place after “a confrontation” between Reinoehl and police before he attempted to flee the scene, per an earlier report in The Olympian. This week, the Thurston County Coroner’s Office ruled Reinoehl’s death as a homicide, adding that he died from multiple gunshot wounds to his head and torso, as reported by Fox News.
Reinoehl went into hiding after he was being sought on a murder warrant in the August 29 shooting death of Patriot Prayer member Aaron “Jay” Danielson, 39, who was part of a group of Trump supporters holding a demonstration in Portland to counter Black Lives Matter protesters. Reinoehl spoke to Vice News in an interview that was aired the night he was killed, and said he had "no choice" but to shoot Danielson.
“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,” he said. “I had no choice,” Reinoehl stated. “I mean, I, I had a choice. I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color. I wasn’t going to do that.” A judge had signed an arrest warrant earlier in the day.
On his Instagram, Reinoehl posted several videos and photos of protests he attended since late June, accompanied by hashtags such as #blacklivesmatter, #anewnation, and #breonnataylor. In at least one of those posts, he declared himself "100% Antifa".
"Every Revolution needs people that are willing and ready to fight," he wrote in one post. "There are so many of us protesters that are just protesting without a clue of where that will lead. That's just the beginning that's where the fight starts. If that's as far as you can take it thank you for your participation but please stand aside and support the ones that are willing to fight."
"I am 100% ANTIFA all the way! I am willing to fight for my brothers and sisters! Even if some of them are too ignorant to realize what Antifa truly stands for. We do not want violence but we will not run from it either! If the police continue to pick on and beat up innocent citizens that are peacefully voicing their objections, it must be met with equal force!" a part of the extended post said, which ended with hashtags like #Antifa and #blacklivesmatter.
Portland has been ravaged by violent riots for more than 100 days. Nonetheless, Mayor Ted Wheeler has refused any assistance from the federal government to contain the situation.