Christopher BergPortland, OR – A man was fatally shot during a night of clashes between Trump supporters and antifa in Portland.
The shooting occurred at around 8:46 p.m. Saturday by Southeast Third Street and Southwest Alder Street, according to CNN.
It’s not clear what led up to the fatal confrontation, but video of the incident was posted online.
The video shows two men in an apparent verbal confrontation before one of the men shoots the other.
Warning – Graphic Content:
Enhanced video of Portland shooting pic.twitter.com/nRkUAQsBo9
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) August 30, 2020
Protesters initially spread the word that a fascist had fatally shot a black man, according to journalist Andy Ngo.
Antifa are claiming that the deceased person is one of theirs and that the shooter is a fascist. There is no evidence that suggests this right now. I repeat, no evidence at this moment suggests that is true. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/lLyZ8C3JsP
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 30, 2020
However, the shooting victim was a white man wearing a Patriot Prayer hat, according to The New York Times.
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.
Video showed that protesters cheering at the news that the shooting victim was a “Patriot Prayer Trump person.”
Warning – Obscene Language:
Send in the National Guard to Portland. The city is out control as Antifa celebrates the murder of a Trump supporter. pic.twitter.com/9rJjBlwL1s
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 30, 2020
The shooting victim has not been formally identified.
The killer is still at large.
Prior to the shooting, a caravan of Trump supporters arrived in the city as part of an advertised “Trump 2020 Cruise Rally in Portland,” according to CNN.
Portland has faced three months of nightly rioting in which antifa have attacked police officers and vandalized buildings.
Violence seemed inevitable once the violent antifa rioters came across the pro-Trump group.
Video from the event showed antifa throwing objects at the pro-Trump group and lighting a Trump flag on fire.
The pro-Trump group responded with what appeared to be paintballs and pepper spray.
Trump flag was burned earlier m. Protesters were met with paintballs and bear spray from Trumpies. pic.twitter.com/OS7kixBJpW
— John #PortlandProtest (@Johnnthelefty) August 30, 2020
It’s not clear if the fatal shooting was directly related to any of the the earlier clashes.
Portland Police Bureau is asking anybody who has information on the shooting to come forward.
“It is still early in this investigation, and I ask everyone to give the detectives time to do their important work before drawing conclusions about what took place,” Police Chief Chuck Lovell said in a statement. “If anyone can provide information about this case, I ask them to please reach out to our detectives. This violence is completely unacceptable and we are working diligently to find and apprehend the individual or individuals responsible.”
Tom Gantert
Holly Matkin