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Family Of Murdered Trump Supporter Sues Portland Mayor, DA And City

We are seeking justice for the preventable death of a young man, gunned down in a city with a dangerous and deadly hands-off approach to public safety

Last Summer, Portland erupted into chaos as protests and riots spread throughout the city, supposedly in the wake of a Minneapolis police officer killing George Floyd. During one of the protests in late August of 2020, Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a Trump supporter, was targeted by a self-proclaimed member of Antifa. According to surveillance footage, Danielson was casually walking near downtown when Michael Reinoehl emerged from a parking garage and killed him. While the family of Danielson continues to miss him, they are now filing lawsuits against both Mayor Ted Wheeler and the district attorney for fostering hostile behaviors that led to Danielson’s death. 

Seeking $13 million in damages, the family said in a statement, “We are seeking justice for the preventable death of a young man, gunned down in a city with a dangerous and deadly hands-off approach to public safety. Time and time again, City leadership and law enforcement have failed to find an effective response to clashing groups of protesters.”

The other target in the lawsuit is District Attorney Mike Schmidt. The family believes that his lack of pressing charges against rioters and criminals ultimately caused Danielson to be murdered. Again, the family and their lawyers say that the local government allowed dangerous individuals to roam freely by not charging criminals. 

While some still question, an autopsy report revealed that Danielson was murdered when a single bullet entered his upper right chest.

As for Reinoehl, he was eventually shot and killed by a multi-agency task force. At the time, the task force was trying to execute an arrest warrant for Reinoehl, who was charged with second-degree murder. According to reports, Reinoehl resisted arrest and eventually opened fire on the officers. The task force was left with no other option than to use lethal force.

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