Michael Reinoehl appeared to target right-wing demonstrator before fatal shooting in Portland, police say


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Michael Forest Reinoehl, a self-described anti-fascist who provided security for Portland racial justice protests, appears to have targeted a participant in a pro-Trump rally, emerging from an alcove of a parking garage before firing two gunshots, one that hit the man’s bear spray can and the other that proved fatal, according to a police affidavit unsealed Friday.

Police found a single Winchester .380-caliber bullet casing on the street, a metal canister of “Bear Attack Detector” that had a “large defect” in it and a collapsible metal baton just north of Aaron “Jay” Danielson’s body, a detective said in the affidavit.

Danielson, 39, was pronounced dead at 8:55 p.m. last Saturday on Southwest Third Avenue, about 10 minutes after the shooting was reported. He died from a single bullet to the upper right chest, an autopsy found. The bullet was found lodged in his back.

During a search of Reinoehl’s basement rental unit in a Northeast Portland home on 92nd Avenue, police found ammunition of the same caliber used in Danielson’s shooting and clothing Reinoehl wore that night. They don’t appear to have recovered a gun.

Portland police obtained a warrant Thursday afternoon charging Reinoehl with second-degree murder with a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon. That night, four officers from three different Washington agencies shot at Reinoehl after he walked out of an apartment outside Lacey, Washington, and tried to flee as they moved in to arrest him. Reinoehl was hit multiple times and died at the scene. He had a handgun but Washington investigators said it’s not clear yet whether he fired it.

On Friday afternoon, a judge unsealed the affidavits for his arrest warrant and a warrant for the search of Reinoehl’s residence. The documents offer new details of the deadly encounter between Reinoehl and Danielson shortly after a car caravan in support of President Trump had left Portland’s downtown last weekend.

Several witnesses told police they saw Danielson holding a can of mace or bear spray and then heard two shots, the affidavit said.

Police found damage to the bear spray canister that was retrieved from the street, leading investigators to believe it was struck by the first of two bullets fired by Reinoehl.

Police slowed down video captured by a livestreamer of the shooting and said it appeared that a first shot was followed by an explosion of the chemical and then a quick second gunshot, the affidavit said. Danielson stumbled two or three steps before collapsing in the street.

Detectives found a loaded 9mm handgun on Danielson’s waistband and three magazines of 9mm red-tip ammunition in his right cargo pants pocket, the affidavit said. Surveillance video from the nearby Third Avenue parking garage showed Danielson holding a baton in his left hand and the bear spray in his right hand before the shooting, according to police.

Reinoehl is seen hiding in an alcove, reaching into a pouch or waistband, as Danielson and a friend, Chandler Pappas, walk south on Third Avenue.

Homicide Det. Rico Beniga wrote that Reinoehl “conceals himself, waits and watches,” as Danielson and Pappas walk by south on Third Avenue.

After the two men pass, Reinoehl followed them, walking westbound across the street moments before the gunshots were fired, police said.

Police said it appeared as if Reinoehl stood with both hands extended and holding his gun when he fired, then later his right hand remained extended and pointed at Davidson, before he turned to run away.

Both Danielson and Pappas were wearing Patriot Prayer hats, signifying their support of the right-wing group based in Vancouver.

Pappas told police that he and Danielson had been drinking earlier in the evening and were facing off with Reinoehl and a man who was with him when the gunshots occurred.

A witness told police he heard one of the men confronting Danielson and Pappas say something like, “We’re going to (expletive) kill you,” the affidavit said. Justin Dunlap, who caught the shooting on his livestream video, said he heard one of the men who confronted Danielson and Pappas say something similar to, “You wanna go.” A motorist driving by told police he saw a Black man in the area say “Hey, there’s the guy.” A third witness said Reinoehl “peeked out” of the alcove as Danielson and Pappas passed, before approaching them, according to the affidavit.

As part of the investigation, police learned that Reinoehl had sent a text message to his teenage son on Aug. 7 that read, “Sell me the gun for a quarter pound of weed and $100 I’m getting tired of this shit I need a piece now,” according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

Reinoehl was identified on social media within hours of the shooting. His younger sister also told detectives that the man seen in the footage was Reinoehl.

The gun that Portland police seized from Reinoehl during an early morning July 5 protest downtown was of a different caliber, according to the affidavit. Reinoehl was given a citation that morning, accused of possessing a loaded gun in a public place, resisting arrest and interfering with police on Southwest Main Street. Police then seized a Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun from Reinoehl. The citation was dropped by the district attorney’s office on July 30, and Reinoehl spent no time behind bars. The office earlier this week said it was still reviewing the case.

Rienoehl described himself on social media as “100 % ANTIFA” but later said in an interview that he wasn’t a member of antifa or other groups. He appeared to admit in the report published by Vice News on Thursday that he fired the shots. He said he acted in self-defense, believing he and a friend of his were about to be maced or stabbed, was aware of what he did and ran from the scene.

“I had no choice,” he told the interviewer, then added, “I mean, I, I had a choice. I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color, but I wasn’t going to do that.”

Witness sought in fatal Portland shooting

Portland police released this photo on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, of a witness they’re seeking in the fatal shooting of Aaron “Jay” Danielson the weekend before in downtown Portland.

Reinoehl also said lawyers advised him against saying anything, but that “I feel it’s important that the world at least gets a little bit of what’s really going on, because there’s been a lot of propaganda put out.”

Portland police also Friday asked for the public’s help in identifying a man who was with Reinoehl on Saturday night at the time of the shooting, wearing a black hood, mask and sweatshirt.

Detectives said they’re still interested in interviewing the man who was with Reinoehl and ran from the scene. They ask that anyone with information on his identity contact Det. Beniga at 503-823-0457 or [email protected].

“We still do not have a full understanding of what led to the death of Michael Forest Reinoehl. The loss of life is tragic,” Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said in a statement. “It has a profound impact on families, friends and community members. The apprehension of a fugitive, in particular one under investigation for murder, is especially dangerous for law enforcement. I am thankful that no one else was injured or killed during last night’s incident in Lacey, Washington, and I appreciate the coordination between law enforcement agencies throughout this investigation.”

— Maxine Bernstein

Email at [email protected]; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian




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