Law enforcement authorities are investigating whether an Oregon native who has declared support for antifa and was accused of carrying a loaded gun at an earlier protest was responsible for killing a man in Portland over the weekend.
Sources told the Oregonian that Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, is being scrutinized in connection with the death of Aaron Danielson, who was wearing a thin blue line patch on his shorts, signaling his support for law enforcement, and a hat with a logo for Patriot Prayer, a far-right group that has been active in Portland, when he was shot and killed on Saturday as a pro-Trump car caravan clashed with counterprotesters.
Reinoehl, who has posted on social media about attending rallies during the past three months of constant protests in Portland, was cited on July 5 on allegations that he was in possession of a loaded gun in a public place, resisting arrest, and interfering with police.
He had been given a court date, but the allegations were dropped at the end of the month with a “no complaint,” court records show, although a reason was not provided regarding why prosecutors decided not to pursue the accusations.
Reineohl has repeatedly promoted the protests on social media. In one post from last month, he identified with antifa, a far-left group that has been blamed for often resorting to violence and has sometimes clashed with Patriot Prayer.
“Every Revolution needs people that are willing and ready to fight,” he wrote on July 16. “There are so many of us protesters that are just protesting without a clue of where that will lead. That’s just the beginning that’s that where the fight starts. If that’s as far as you can take it thank you for your participation but please stand aside and support the ones that are willing to fight. I am 100% ANTIFA all the way! I am willing to fight for my brothers and sisters! … We do not want violence but we will not run from it either! … Today’s protesters and antifa are my brothers in arms.”
Reinoehl is also wanted on a failure-to-appear warrant after he and his 17-year-old son were caught racing in different vehicles at speeds over 100 miles per hour in eastern Oregon, the report said. In addition, he is accused of driving under the influence of a controlled substance, recklessly endangering another, unlawful possession of a gun, and driving while suspended and uninsured.
A decade and a half ago, he was pulled over, and police say they found marijuana, “unidentified” pills, and a loaded firearm, even though Reinoehl didn’t have a concealed handgun license.
Reinoehl has been estranged from his parents and siblings for a couple of years, according to his sister, who identified her brother in video footage taken from the scene of the shooting. The sister also noted that her brother has stolen their mother’s seizure medication and that he has taken on a lot of debt.
Protests have been a consistent presence in Portland since George Floyd, a black man, died in Minneapolis police custody on Memorial Day. More demonstrations gathered last week after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, another black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. His family says he is paralyzed from the waist down, and multiple investigations are underway.
The shooting in Portland occurred less than one week after two people died and another was injured in a shooting that took place during riots in Kenosha. The alleged gunman, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, has been arrested and charged in the shooting. His lawyers claim he was acting in self-defense.
