A man that has reportedly been linked to the shooting death of a Trump supporter following a political protest in Portland is now giving media interviews.
“Lots of lawyers suggest that I shouldn’t even be saying anything, but 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 there,” 48-year-old Michael Forest Reinoehl told VICE News.
“I had no choice, I mean, I had a choice, I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color, but I wasn’t gonna do that,” Reinoehl added.
“Reinoehl is seemingly admitting to playing a role in the fatal shooting [of] Aaron Danielson, a supporter of the Patriot Prayer movement who died Saturday night after sustaining a gunshot wound to the chest,” The Daily Caller reported. “There have been no reports that Danielson, who went by the name Jay Bishop, was armed or was threatening anyone when he was shot.”
Reinoehl, who was previously accused of apparent weapons violations during a Portland protest earlier this year, has identified himself as being “100% ANTIFA all the way,” has a black power tattoo on his neck, and has repeatedly expressed support for Black Lives Matter.
“Sources familiar with the case but not authorized to speak said police are investigating Reinoehl,” The Oregonian reported. “A family member also identified him as a man captured in photos and video seen leaving the shooting scene shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday.”
The Oregonian also reported that the night before the shooting happened, Reinoehl was at a Black Lives Matter protest outside the home of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler.
“Reinoehl brought his daughter, who was carrying a baseball bat, according to photos by an Oregonian/OregonLive photographer and others present Friday night at Mayor Ted Wheeler’s condominium building,” the newspaper said. “Reinoehl was dressed in the same light-colored vest that videos and photos show him wearing at the scene of the deadly shooting about 9 p.m. Saturday on Southwest Third Avenue.”
WATCH:
Reinoehl’s sister, April Reinoehl, 36, told the Daily Mail that her brother has been estranged from the family for years after he allegedly stole medication from their mother, who has dementia.
“At 7.50am I got woken up by a phone call from somebody who thought I was my mom,” she said. “They named our address, and said ‘Your brother is a murderer and we know you’re hiding him. If you don’t turn him over to the police bad things will happen. Your whole family is in danger.’ My mom has dementia and stress-induced seizures. This could have literally killed her if they had found her.”
“He’s a lot older than me,” she said. “He was this nebulous figure who popped in and out of our lives, usually demanding money from our mom, and if she didn’t have it he’d guilt her until she did – not that she had money to give. We were a poor family growing up. But she always gave to him.”
“I would describe him as a jerk, verbally cruel sometimes when he’s not getting his way,” she added. “I eventually gave up trying because I saw this pattern that he only reaches out to us when he wants something from us – either ‘watch my kids for free’, ‘give me money’, or telling us he should inherit the family property.”
“He said ‘I’ll look after the property and take care of mom, you should leave.’ This is the same guy who only ever talks to her when he wants something from her, makes her cry if she can’t give it to him by guilting her, shaming her. Every kind of bullying and abusive tactic he could think of, that’s what he would do with her,” she added. “And it didn’t matter how much money he was making, he always needed more from mom, who made almost nothing.”
“To the family of Aaron Danielson, I am so, so sorry this happened to you. He didn’t deserve this, nobody does,” she concluded.