Fatal shooting in Portland as Trump supporters
clash with Black Lives Matter protesters
Police say it was not clear if shooting was linked to
fights between protesters and caravan of Trump supporters
Associated
Press
Sun 30 Aug
2020 07.07 BST
One person
was shot and killed late Saturday in Portland, Oregon, as a large caravan of
Donald Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed in the
streets, police said.
It wasn’t
clear if the shooting was linked to fights that broke out as a caravan of about
600 vehicles was confronted by protesters in the city’s downtown.
An
Associated Press freelance photographer heard three gunshots and then observed
police medics working on the body of the victim, who appeared to be a white
man.
“Portland
police officers heard sounds of gunfire from the area of Southeast 3rd Avenue
and Southwest Alder Street,” Portland police said in a statement.
“They
responded and located a victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. Medical
responded and determined that the victim was deceased.”
Portland
has been the site of nightly protests for more than three months since the
police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Hundreds have been arrested by
local and federal law enforcement and, before the shooting, police made several
arrests Saturday and advised residents to avoid downtown.
The chaotic
scene came two days after Trump invoked Portland as a liberal city overrun with
violence in a speech at the Republican National Convention as part of his “law
and order” re-election campaign theme. The caravan marked the third Saturday in
a row that Trump supporters have rallied in the city.
The caravan
of Trump supporters had gathered earlier in the day at a nearby mall and drove
as a group to the heart of Portland. As they arrived in the city, protesters
attempted to stop them by standing in the street and blocking bridges.
Videos from
the scene showed sporadic fighting, as well as Trump supporters firing
paintball pellets at opponents and using bear spray as counter-protesters threw
things at the Trump caravan.
“There have
been some instances of violence between demonstrators and
counter-demonstrators,” Portland police said via Twitter. “Officers have
intervened and in some cases made arrests.”
The Black
Lives Matter demonstrations usually target police buildings and federal
buildings. Some protesters have called for reductions in police budgets while
the city’s mayor and some in the Black community have decried the violence,
saying it’s counterproductive.
Early
Saturday morning, fires set outside a police union building that is a frequent
site for protests prompted police to declare a riot.
An
accelerant was used to ignite a mattress and other debris that was laid against
the door of the Portland Police Association building, police said in a
statement. At least one dumpster had also been set on fire in the street
nearby.
The
commotion followed a sit-in in the lobby of the Portland mayor’s condominium
building Friday night.
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