PORTLAND—A man was shot and killed at a protest in downtown Portland on the night of Saturday, August 29.
Police say the male victim was shot in the chest around 8:46 p.m. near Southeast Third Avenue and Southwest Alder Street. The shooting occurred about 15 minutes after a caravan of around 600 vehicles, part of a Trump rally, left downtown.
Authorities have not provided additional information and are asking witnesses to the incident or anyone with first-hand video of the shooting to contact investigators.
Clashes had been reported earlier that night and were being monitored by police. Reportedly, some physical altercations occured between Black Lives Matter protesters and members of a Facebook-sponsored “Trump 2020 Cruise Rally in Portland”. It is not known whether those clashes are related to the shooting.
The BLM protesters were gathered for the 94th night of consecutive Portland protests following the killing of George Floyd. The pro-Trump supporters arrived by caravan displaying Trump 2020 flags and “All Lives Matter” signs on their vehicles. BLM protesters tried to prevent them from entering the city by standing in the street.
Reporter Mike Baker with the New York Times witnessed the throwing of objects and fights throughout the night. He arrived on the scene of the shooting after paramedics had gathered around the victim and posted footage to Twitter. According to Baker, the victim was wearing a hat with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a far-right Portland-based group that has clashed with protesters in the past.
On 3rd Ave, police say there was live gunfire and there is a victim. Unsure what transpired. pic.twitter.com/jLr6LjQagA
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) August 30, 2020
Leader of the Patriot Party Joey Gibson, who was seen at the protests that night, said the victim was a friend of his and a supporter of the Patriot Party.
More of Baker’s videos of the two opposing protests depict violence from both. One shows people standing beside the street shouting and throwing objects at a white pickup truck with an American flag and “All Lives Matter” written on its window. Another depicts a person setting fire to a “Trump 2020” flag. In another, a man in the bed of a black pickup truck with an “Oregon for Trump” flag fires a paintball gun at the people beside the street.
The past three weekends in Portland protests have each involved clashes with firearms. On August 15, a protester fired two gunshots from a car. Then on August 22, a far-right activist brandished a weapon at a similarly polarized meeting of two protests.
