On August 29, 2020, Aaron Danielson, an American supporter of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, was shot and killed after participating in a caravan which drove through Portland, Oregon, displaying banners and signs supporting President Donald Trump, and clashing with participants in the local George Floyd protests.
On September 3, 2020, Danielson's suspected killer, Michael Reinoehl, an American far-left activist and supporter of the far-left movement Antifa, was shot and killed by a federally led fugitive task force near Lacey, Washington. Reinoehl had admitted to killing Danielson in an interview shortly before his death, claiming it was in self-defense, although the police said that Reinoehl had followed and targeted Danielson. Danielson's killing was the first time in over 26 years that a self-identified anti-fascist activist had been charged with homicide. President Donald Trump commended the U.S. Marshals for shooting Reinoehl, describing it as "retribution", and claiming to have personally "sent in" the U.S. Marshals to "get" Reinoehl during the first presidential debate with Joe Biden.
An investigation by the Thurston County Sheriff's Office concluded that Reinoehl had most likely initiated an exchange of gunfire with officers before he was killed. However, some witnesses stated that officers opened fire without warning, and a review by The New York Times also disputed this, concluding that local investigators had discounted key pieces of evidence.
Background
In the weeks and months prior to the two killings, Portland was the site of significant protests against police brutality and racism in the United States, as part of the American and international protests that followed the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. These protests saw confrontations between protesters and right-wing counter-protesters. Right-wing counter-protestors were reported to fire paintball guns and release bear spray at protestors, and protestors were reported as releasing fireworks and other objects.
On August 29, 2020, hundreds of Trump supporters took part in the "Trump 2020 Cruise Rally", a caravan of more than 100 cars and trucks displaying pro-Trump flags and signs which drove through downtown Portland. The rally was set up by Meridian-based real-estate developer Alex Kuzmenko, who used an assumed name to organize the activities on Facebook and other social media. Caravan participants and counterprotesters got into heated and sometimes violent confrontations.
Aaron J. Danielson
Aaron Joseph Danielson (born September 4, 1980) was a resident of Portland. Danielson was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. He attended local schools including Shadle Park High School, dropping out during his senior year and then briefly working as a mover in Spokane. Danielson moved to Portland soon after and together with a friend established a moving company which transported heavy items such as safes, hot tubs, stoves and statues. He never married and did not have children.
According to Portland Tribune articles published after his death, Danielson spent much of his free time with a racially mixed group of people in his neighborhood, and black friends spoke up for him. Danielson was characterized by those who knew him as neither a radical, nor a racist or fascist, although he could on occasion be politically provocative and was said to have had a long-standing penchant for conspiracy theories. Like Reinoehl, Danielson was drawn to the protests, heading into downtown Portland on his mountain board and posting videos of them almost every night. According to The Spokesman-Review, there were no reports or publicly released videos of Danielson having been involved in any physical conflicts during the protests, apart from his killing.
Danielson's parents said he blamed antifa for destruction in Portland and was convinced that the group was funded by someone who wanted America destroyed by civil war. Danielson's parents said he had always been a staunch Republican, but that more recently, especially since the start of the protests, they had noticed that his views had shifted, stating: "He started to get more and more concerned about government taking over, the U.N. coming in, China controlling everything. I mean, we started hearing about it. We hadn't heard about it before that." Danielson frequently texted them and sent them videos to watch.