Dead suspect predicted 'civil war'

Sought in protester shooting, man killed by U.S. task force

A Washington State Patrol Crime Lab worker looks at evidence markers in the early morning Friday in Lacey, Wash., at the scene where Michael Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him.
(AP/Ted S. Warren)
A Washington State Patrol Crime Lab worker looks at evidence markers in the early morning Friday in Lacey, Wash., at the scene where Michael Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him. (AP/Ted S. Warren)

LACEY, Wash. -- Michael Forest Reinoehl, the man who was suspected of killing a right-wing protester in Portland, Ore., and who was shot and killed by police in neighboring Washington state, had said he believed a civil war was coming to America.

The killing of Reinoehl shook a quiet suburb of Olympia, Wash., Thursday night, with bystanders ducking for cover behind automobiles from dozens of gunshots as four members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force opened fire.

"The fugitive task force located Reinoehl in Olympia and attempted to peacefully arrest him," Jurgen Soekhoe, a U.S. Marshals spokesman, said in a statement. "Initial reports indicate the suspect produced a firearm, threatening the lives of law enforcement officers. Task force members responded to the threat and struck the suspect who was pronounced dead at the scene."

Reinoehl, 48, was armed with a semi-automatic handgun, but authorities have not determined if he fired any shots, said Lt. Ray Brady of the Thurston County sheriff's office.

In a news conference late Thursday, Brady said the shooting happened after members of the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force approached a "known homicide suspect" outside an apartment complex.

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A video shot during the immediate aftermath showed a man lying motionless on a street next to a row of mailboxes with law enforcement officers in tactical gear and automatic rifles milling around. After a couple of minutes, one man performed chest compressions on Reinoehl.

"Yeah, I don't think he's going to make it," Jashon Spencer narrated on the video that he posted on Facebook showing the scene that unfolded.

Brady said he did not believe the officers involved in the shooting had body cameras or dashboard cameras on their vehicles.

In a videotaped interview broadcast the evening of his death by Vice News, Reinoehl came close to admitting he shot Aaron "Jay" Danielson on Aug. 29 after a caravan of President Donald Trump backers drove their pickups through downtown Portland.

Reinoehl said he "had no choice" but to do what he did because he thought he and a friend were about to be stabbed.

"I hate to say it, but I see a civil war right around the corner," Reinoehl, with a partially covered tattoo of a raised fist on the right side of his neck, said in the interview.

He told Vice News he was an anti-fascist but was not a member of antifa, an umbrella description for far-left-leaning militant groups that resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations and other events. Reinoehl previously described himself in a social media post as "100% ANTIFA."

It was not immediately clear where Reinoehl hid out in the five days that elapsed since the shooting in Portland.

Brady said the suspect who was killed -- he declined to name him as Reinoehl -- left an apartment about 7 p.m. Thursday, got into a vehicle and was confronted by the task force members. They fired into the vehicle, then Reinoehl got out and ran and was shot, Brady said.

Federal agents from the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service had located Reinoehl on Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest and Reinoehl pulled a gun during the encounter, a senior Justice Department official in Washington said. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task forces -- comprising deputy marshals, other federal agents and local law enforcement officers from a variety of agencies -- are responsible for apprehending violent felons and other wanted suspects.

The four officers who fired their weapons were from the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Pierce County sheriff's office and the Lakewood Police Department. U.S. Marshals were present, but did not fire their weapons, Brady said. No law enforcement officers were injured during the confrontation.

Brady said he doesn't think the suspect lived at the address where he was shot.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr praised agents for finding Reinoehl, who frequently participated in violent protests.

Records show that police in Portland cited Reinoehl on July 5 on allegations of possessing a loaded gun in a public place, resisting arrest and interfering with police.

On July 26, Reinoehl was shot near his elbow after he got involved in a scuffle in the city between an armed white man and a group of young people of color.

Reinoehl also was wanted on an eastern Oregon warrant, where court records show he skipped a hearing related to a June case in which he was charged with driving under the influence of controlled substances, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Information for this article was contributed by Andrew Selsky, Ted Warren, Mike Balsamo, Rebecca Boone, Gene Johnson and Gillian Flaccus of The Associated Press; and by Matt Zapotosky of The Washington Post.

Evidence markers are placed on the ground Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Lacey, Wash. at the scene where Michael Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him. Reinoehl had been suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown Portland. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Evidence markers are placed on the ground Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Lacey, Wash. at the scene where Michael Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him. Reinoehl had been suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown Portland. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Law enforcement officials search a vehicle, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Lacey, Wash. at the scene where Michael Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him. Reinoehl had been suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown Portland. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Law enforcement officials search a vehicle, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Lacey, Wash. at the scene where Michael Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him. Reinoehl had been suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown Portland. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
A Black Lives Matter demonstrator passes writing referencing Michael Reinoehl in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. Reinoehl, suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group, was killed earlier in the day as investigators moved in to arrest him, according to a senior Justice Department official. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A Black Lives Matter demonstrator passes writing referencing Michael Reinoehl in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. Reinoehl, suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group, was killed earlier in the day as investigators moved in to arrest him, according to a senior Justice Department official. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Police officers make a traffic stop near a Black Lives Matter protest on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Portland, Ore.   This weekend Portland will mark 100 consecutive days of protests over the May 25 police killing of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Police officers make a traffic stop near a Black Lives Matter protest on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Portland, Ore. This weekend Portland will mark 100 consecutive days of protests over the May 25 police killing of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The body of Michael Reinoehl is taken away on a stretcher in the early morning hours of Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Lacey, Wash. Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him after he had been suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown Portland. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The body of Michael Reinoehl is taken away on a stretcher in the early morning hours of Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Lacey, Wash. Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him after he had been suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown Portland. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Officials work at the area late Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Lacey Wash., where a man suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Ore., the week before was killed as investigators moved in to arrest him. Michael Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him in Lacey, a senior Justice Department official said. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night, the official said. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)
Officials work at the area late Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Lacey Wash., where a man suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Ore., the week before was killed as investigators moved in to arrest him. Michael Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him in Lacey, a senior Justice Department official said. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night, the official said. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)
Police walk past evidence markers at a scene Thursday, Sept. 3, in Lacey, Wash., where a man suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Ore., last week was killed as investigators moved in to arrest him. Michael Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him, a senior Justice Department official said. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night, the official said.  (AP Photo/Ted Warren)
Police walk past evidence markers at a scene Thursday, Sept. 3, in Lacey, Wash., where a man suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Ore., last week was killed as investigators moved in to arrest him. Michael Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him, a senior Justice Department official said. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night, the official said. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)
A Washington State Patrol official walks near evidence markers and a car with broken windows, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Lacey, Wash. at the scene where Michael Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him. Reinoehl had been suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown Portland. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
A Washington State Patrol official walks near evidence markers and a car with broken windows, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Lacey, Wash. at the scene where Michael Reinoehl was killed Thursday night as investigators moved in to arrest him. Reinoehl had been suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown Portland. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Michael Reinoehl is seen during a protest in front of Mayor Ted Wheeler's residence Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, in Portland, Ore. Reinoehl, suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland last week, was killed Thursday, Sept. 3, as investigators moved in to arrest him, a senior Justice Department official told The Associated Press. Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him in Lacey, Wash., the official said. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night, the official said. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)
Michael Reinoehl is seen during a protest in front of Mayor Ted Wheeler's residence Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, in Portland, Ore. Reinoehl, suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland last week, was killed Thursday, Sept. 3, as investigators moved in to arrest him, a senior Justice Department official told The Associated Press. Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him in Lacey, Wash., the official said. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night, the official said. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)

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