Suspect in Portland shooting killed by federal officers

A suspect in the shooting of a member of a right-wing group in Portland last weekend was killed on Thursday night when federal law enforcement officers moved in to arrest him, according to the Justice Department.

Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, was killed by a U.S. Marshals task force trying to arrest him in Lacey, Wash., the DOJ spokesperson told The Hill in a statement.

Reinoehl was suspected in last weekend’s fatal shooting of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a man traveling in a caravan of Trump supporters that had clashed with Black Lives Matters protesters.

Thurston County sheriff’s Lt. Ray Brady told The Olympian that the Pierce County sheriff’s fugitive apprehension team worked with federal law enforcement to apprehend a wanted homicide suspect when they reportedly saw an armed man come out of the apartment.

“The suspect came out to the car,” Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said, “they attempted to put him into custody and shots were fired.”

Law enforcement and Reinoehl reportedly exchanged gunfire and Reinoehl was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured during the confrontation.

President Trump had called for an arrest in the shooting of Danielson on Thursday.

“Why aren’t the Portland Police ARRESTING the cold blooded killer of Aaron ‘Jay’ Danielson,” Trump tweeted.

Why aren’t the Portland Police ARRESTING the cold blooded killer of Aaron “Jay” Danielson. Do your job, and do it fast. Everybody knows who this thug is. No wonder Portland is going to hell! @TheJusticeDept @FBI

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020

The officers who used their weapons were from the Washington Department of Corrections, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and Lakewood Police Department, according to The Olympian. The U.S. Marshals Service will not release the name of the officers until an investigation is completed, they said.

Brady said there had not been a determination of how many rounds had been fired in the encounter, according to The Associated Press. He added that he did not think that the suspect lived at the address where he was shot.

Reinoehl called himself “100% ANTIFA” in social media posts and had been a regular presence at anti-racism protests in Portland, according to the AP.

Portland has been the site of protests for months following the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky.