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One person was shot and killed late on Saturday (Sunday NZT) in the US city of Portland when a large caravan of supporters of US President Donald Trump and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed in the streets, police said.
It was not clear if the shooting was related to fights that broke out when a caravan of about 600 vehicles was confronted by protesters in the city center.
A freelance Associated Press photographer heard three shots and then observed police medics working on the body of the victim, who appeared to be a white male.
The freelancer said the man was wearing a hat with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a right-wing group whose members have frequently clashed with protesters in Portland in the past.
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Police did not release further details and were at the scene investigating on Saturday night (Sunday NZT).
“Portland police officers heard gunfire from the area of Southeast 3rd Avenue and Southwest Alder Street. They responded and located a victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. The doctor responded and determined that the victim was deceased, ”the Portland Police Office said in a statement.
Portland has been the scene of nightly protests for more than three months since the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Many of them end in vandalism and violence, and hundreds of protesters have been arrested by local and federal authorities since the end of May. The caravan reached the center just as a protest scheduled for Saturday (Sunday NZT) began. Police made several arrests before the shooting and advised residents to avoid the city center.
Paula bronstein
Trump supporters participate in the Clackamas rally in Portland that ended in clashes with Black Lives Matter activists.
The chaotic scene came two days after Trump invoked Portland as a liberal city invaded by violence in a speech at the Republican National Convention as part of his “law and order” reelection campaign theme. The caravan marked the third Saturday in a row that Trump supporters have demonstrated in the city.
Trump and other speakers at this week’s convention conjured up a violent and dystopian future if Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden wins in November, pointing to Portland as a warning of what awaits Americans.
The organizer of the pro-Trump rally, who coordinated a similar caravan in Boise, Idaho, earlier in the week, said in a video posted to Twitter on Saturday afternoon (NZT Sunday) that attendees should only carry concealed weapons and that the route will be kept secret. for security reasons.
The caravan had assembled earlier that day at a suburban shopping center and drove as a group into the heart of Portland. When they reached the city, the protesters tried to stop them by standing in the street and blocking bridges.
Videos from the scene showed sporadic fights, as well as Trump supporters shooting paintball pellets at opponents and using bear spray as counter-protesters threw things at Trump’s caravan.
The shooting occurred shortly before 9 p.m. local time, several hours after the caravan began arriving in Portland.
Paula Bronstein / AP
A Black Lives Matter protester yells at a Donald Trump supporter during a rally and car parade in Portland, Oregon.
Black Lives Matter demonstrations often target police buildings and federal buildings. Some protesters have called for reductions in police budgets, while the city’s mayor and some members of the black community have denounced the violence, saying it is counterproductive.
On early Saturday morning (Sunday NZT), fires that broke out outside a police union building which is a frequent site of protests led the police to declare a riot.
An accelerator was used to ignite a mattress and other debris that was placed against the door of the Portland Police Association building, police said in a statement. At least one garbage container had also been set on fire on the nearby street.
The commotion followed a sit-in in the lobby of the Portland mayor’s apartment building Friday night.
