MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Portland protests: Man shot dead as BLM and pro-Trump activists clash, Internet says 'this is Trump's America'

The victim was reportedly pictured wearing a Patriot Prayer baseball cap

A person was shot dead in Portland on Saturday, August 29, as tensions between pro-Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter counter-protesters boiled over. The man, who was shot during the protests, was pictured wearing a Patriot Prayer baseball cap, showing allegiance to the far-Right group based in Vancouver, Washington. He used to be frequently present during the Portland protests. Soon a video of the incident went viral where a small group of people in the road outside what appears to be a parking garage can be seen from a distance. Eventually, gunfire erupts and the man collapses on the street.

It wasn’t clear if the shooting was linked to fights that broke out as a caravan of about 600 vehicles was confronted by protesters in the city’s downtown. Police did not release any additional details and were at the scene investigating late Saturday. “Portland Police officers heard sounds of gunfire from the area of Southeast 3rd Avenue and Southwest Alder Street. They responded and located a victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. Medical responded and determined that the victim was deceased,” the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement.

According to a FirstPost report, The Pro-Trump rally's organizer, who coordinated a similar caravan on Boise Idaho, earlier this week, said in a video posted on Twitter that attendees should only carry concealed weapons and the route was being kept secret for safety reasons. The caravan had gathered earlier in the day at a suburban mall and drove as a group to the heart of Portland. As they arrived in the city, protesters attempted to stop them by standing in the street and blocking bridges.

After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Portland has become a site of nightly protest for more than three months now. Many of the protesters end up being a victim of violence and many end up being arrested by local and federal law enforcement since late May. As soon as the incident happened, people started reacting to it.

"It’s been a nightmare. I can’t watch anymore. I’m so disheartened just seeing the sheer number of people who are just itching for a fight and violence. One person in Portland has been shot. Reports that he’s dead but not confirmed. This is #TrumpsAmerica. I fear for the future," said a Twitter user.

A user said: "I'm at a loss for my Country. I have spent a lifetime bleeding Red, White, & Blue! And I'm not nieve. I know we've BIG ISSUES to deal with! I have watched in absolute horror as Donald J Trump has brought every ugliness to a boil! And still, "his people" applaud him. SMDH!" Another user speculated an incoming war and said, "Looks like Donald Trump is going to get his war, of course it will be fought in the streets of the United States of America."

Another user posted a video of the incident and said, "@realDonaldTrump‘s MAGA Caravan went in to Portland to incite violence by shooting paintball guns and pepper spray into the crowd. Now someone is dead. This is literally the opposite of “law and order”. Protest but peacefully do so. ALL quit inciting violence. #PortlandProtests." "When a bunch of armed, angry, pro-trump supporters gather in Portland from out-of-state looking for trouble, and someone ends up DEAD, the inciter-in-chief has blood on his hands. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT," commented another.