One person has died after a large group of right-wing Trump supporters caravanned into Portland to disrupt protesters who have beendemandingjustice for victims of police terror, The New York Timesreports.
It was not immediately clear if the fatal shooting of the person was linked to the clashes, which saw Trump supporters firing on Black Lives Matter protesters with paintball guns. The Associated Press reports that around 600 vehicles took part in the pro-Trump counter-protest. Portland has seen nightly demonstrations occur in the city for about three months, sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota by police.
"This violence is completely unacceptable, and we are working diligently to find and apprehend the individual or individuals responsible," Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said of the incident. According to the NYT, the deceased man, who sustained gunshot wounds to the chest, was wearing a hat that had the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a Portland-based far-right white nationalist group that supports Trump.
Trump responded to the news on Twitter, continuing the "Law and Order" rhetoric he's reserved for Black Lives Matter protesters calling for equality and the dismantling of white supremacy. On the flip side, the reality television star praised those that drove into the city to disrupt the racial justice protests, calling them "great patriots." He also floated the idea of sending in the National Guard.
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