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Portland Police Searching For Antifa Accused Of Murdering Trump Supporter

Holly MatkinAugust 31, 2020

Portland, OR – Police are searching for the man who gunned down a pro-police,  Trump supporter during the riots in Portland on Saturday night.

Earlier on Aug. 29, a group supporting President Donald Trump gathered in Clackamas, Oregon to take part in a “Trump 2020 Cruise Rally in Portland” caravan, CNN reported.

Participants flew “Thin Blue Line” and “Trump 2020” flags from their motorcycles, trucks, and cars as the caravan made its way towards the downtown Portland area.

Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Chief Chuck Lovell said on Sunday that police were aware the demonstrators were headed to the city, so they attempted to block the caravan from reaching the downtown area where rioters have attacked police and wreaked havoc for over 95 consecutive nights, CNN reported.

Despite those efforts, a portion of the pro-Trump caravan managed to “come into the downtown core,” Chief Lovell told reporters.

Video footage captured clashes between the groups on multiple occasions prior to the fatal shooting at 8:45 p.m., CNN reported.

Witness Justin Dunlap alleged that the shooting victim sprayed “bear mace” at someone prior to the gunfire, but that claim has not been verified.

Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who may also go by the name of Jay Bishop, was wearing a Patriot Prayer hat when one of the rioters fatally shot him in the chest, CNN reported.

He also had a Thin Blue Line flag patch on the satchel he was carrying, photos showed.

Danielson died in the middle of Southwest Third Avenue near Alder Street, according to The Oregonian.

According to The Oregonian, sources who were not authorized to talk about the investigation said that police are searching for 48-year-old Michael Forest Reinoehl in connection with Danielson’s murder.

Reinoehl, a self-proclaimed anti-fascist, said in a prior interview that he “hated” his time serving in the U.S. Army, and that he is now a contractor and professional snowboarder, according to the paper.

Police zeroed in on Reinoehl after his 36-year-old estranged sister received a threatening phone call shortly before 8 a.m. on Sunday, The Oregonian reported.

The caller told her that her “whole family was in danger unless we turn him over,” the woman told the paper.

She reported the incident to police shortly before she saw screenshots of her brother online.

She then called PPB detectives and told them who the shooter was.

“We reached out to police and confirmed that we recognized Michael in the screenshots,” she told The Oregonian.

She said that she and her other family members have not spoken with Reinoehl for at least three years.

“On the one hand, this whole thing surprises the daylights out of us, because we always thought he is a lot of bark, not a lot of bite,” she told The Oregonian. “But he’s also been very impulsive and irrational.”

Reinoehl’s sister said that she has loved ones and family members “on both sides of the conflict.”

“Violence begets violence and hatred begets hatred,” she told The Oregonian. “My heart goes out to the victim. It always has, before I even knew my brother was involved.”

Reinoehl has been a regular participant in the nightly riots in downtown Portland, according to the paper.

During one such gathering on July 5, he was cited for possessing a loaded gun in a public place, interfering with police, and resisting arrest, The Oregonian reported.

But according to court records, prosecutors dropped all charges against him on July 30 without any documentation as to why.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt’s spokesperson, Brent Weisberg, said that the case is still being reviewed, The Oregonian reported.

On Aug. 11, Schmidt unveiled a plan to give rioters a free pass for much of the criminal acts they have committed during the past three months of destruction and mayhem.

According to the Oregon State Police (OSP), Reinoehl is also wanted for failing to show up to court in Baker County on charges of unlawful possession of a gun, recklessly endangering another, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, and driving while suspended and uninsured, The Oregonian reported.

The charges stem from a June 8 incident, during which he and his 17-year-old son were allegedly racing one another on Interstate 84 at speeds of up to 111 miles per hour, according to the OSP.

Reinoehl had his 11-year-old daughter inside his vehicle at the time.

Investigators also found “unidentified prescription pills,” marijuana, and a loaded Glock handgun inside his car, The Oregonian reported.

Reinoehl did not have a concealed carry license, police said.

Antifa celebrated Danielson’s death in the wake of the fatal Aug. 29 shooting, video footage showed.

“The person who died was a Patriot Prayer person,” a member of the riotous mob told the crowd. “He was a f–king Nazi! Our community held its own and took out the trash!”

“I am not going to shed any tears over a Nazi!” she added, as the mob cheered.

Patriot Prayer is a local right-wing group which has held Christian pro-Trump rallies in the Portland area. Their rallies have attracted antifa who show up to disrupt the events.

Many of the events have ended in rioting after the antifa turn violent.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown later blamed the violence on Patriot Prayer, USA Today reported.

“The right-wing group Patriot Prayer and self-proclaimed militia members drove into downtown Portland last night, armed and looking for a fight,” Brown said in a statement. “Every Oregonian has the right to freely express their views without fear of deadly violence. I will not allow Patriot Prayer and armed white supremacists to bring more bloodshed to our streets.”

“Time and again, from Charlottesville to Kenosha to Portland, we have seen the tragic outcome when armed right-wing vigilantes take matters into their own hands,” the governor preached. “Gun violence is never, ever the answer.”

Meanwhile, friends of the murdered man expressed their sadness and outrage on social media.

“We love Jay and he had such a huge heart,” Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson said in a Facebook post on Sunday. “God bless him and the life he lived.”

Women for Trump co-founder Amy Kremer tweeted her condolences later the same night.

“This is Jay Bishop,” she wrote. “He was a good American that loved his country and Backed the Blue. He was murdered in Portland by ANTIFA.”

President Trump retweeted Kremer’s message.

“Rest in Peace Jay!” the President wrote.

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Written by
Holly Matkin

Holly is a former probation and parole officer who is married to a sheriff’s deputy. She is a regular contributor to Signature Montana magazine, and has written feature articles for Distinctly Montana magazine.

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