Suspect in murder of Patriot Prayer supporter named as Michael Reinoehl

As the troubled city of Portland comes to terms with the killing of a man for no other apparent reason than his political beliefs, attention is now focused on the man police have identified as their main suspect, Michael Forest Reinoehl.

On Saturday, Aaaron “Jay” Danielson was shot dead in an attack captured in a disturbing video. Danielson had been participating in a march with Patriot Prayer, a group that has been identified as pro-Trump.

The Oregonian reported that police have now named Reinoehl as the main suspect in the crime.

According to the newspaper, and other local reports, Reinoehl describes himself as ‘100% ANTIFA’ and is a father of two children. Police said that they believe he is the man captured in a video pulling the trigger.

The victim was identified Sunday by Joey Gibson, the founder of Patriot Prayer, and since then even President Trump has used his name, Jay, in a tweet. Police Chief Chuck Lovell has said that the investigation is ongoing and so little information is being released at this time.

Reinoehl was raised in Sandy and has had recent addresses in Northeast Portland, Gresham and Clackamas. He described himself on social media and in a video interview with Bloomberg QuickTake News as a professional snowboarder and contractor who has former military experience but “hated” his time in the army.

Sources familiar with the case but not authorized to speak said police are investigating Reinoehl. 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.

A New York Times report cited two unidentified witnesses saying a small group of people got into an argument with other people in a vehicle and someone opened fire. The man who was shot and killed was wearing a hat with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a far-right group based in Portland that has clashed with protesters in the past, according to the newspaper.

According to local reports, Reinoehl had been seen via social media attending Black Lives Matters demonstration and he had previously been accused of taking a loaded gun to an earlier Portland protest, although they had been dropped. He had been arrested before, accused of car racing against his 17-year-old son.

“We reached out to police and confirmed that we recognized Michael in the screenshots,” Reinoehl’s sister was reported to have said after seeing the footage of her apparently estranged brother who is a professional snowboarder.

“On the one hand, this whole thing surprises the daylights out of us, because we always thought he is a lot of bark, not a lot of bite. But he’s also been very impulsive and irrational.”