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US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden have clashed over the violence that has erupted in protests in Portland, Oregon.
Trump blamed Portland Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler for allowing the “death and destruction of his city.”
But Biden said the president was “recklessly fomenting violence.”
A man was shot and killed in Portland on Saturday as a pro-Trump rally clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in other parts of the city.
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Portland has become a hotbed of protests against police brutality and racism since the police murder of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 unleashed a wave of national and international outrage.
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In a series of tweets Sunday, Trump said “Portland will never get back on a fool for mayor,” and suggested sending federal forces to the city. He also accused Biden of “not being willing to lead.”
In a statement, Mr. Biden said: “[Trump] You may believe that tweeting about law and order makes you strong, but your inability to call on your supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak you are. “
Law and order is a major theme of President Trump’s re-election bid, painting Democrats and their candidate Joe Biden as soft on crime.
Earlier, US Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said Democratic officials in Portland had allowed “anarchy and chaos” to develop, saying “all options” were on the table to resolve the situation. .
For their part, Democrats accuse President Trump of stoking the unrest.
Cedric Richmond, congressman from Louisiana and campaign co-chair for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, said: “[Trump] he keeps talking about what Biden’s America would be like. Well, this is Trump’s America. ”
Victim ‘supported far-right group’
Police are investigating the shooting in the city, which has seen months of demonstrations.
“Portland police officers heard gunshot sounds from the area of Southeast 3rd Avenue and Southwest Alder Street. They responded and located a victim with a gunshot wound to the chest,” Portland police said in a statement.
Oregon Live reported that “camouflage gear” with “patches of thin blue lines” was seen next to the body, a common sign of support for police.
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Another image shows police trying to immobilize a man who was apparently with the person who was shot.
The police have not identified the dead person or specified if the shooting was directly related to the clashes that broke out in a downtown area.
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Police immobilize man during clashes in Portland
Without naming him, the founder of the far-right group Patriot Prayer said the victim was “a good friend and supporter,” the Associated Press news agency reports.
The shooting came amid fights between Trump supporters and BLM protesters in the city center.
Tensions escalated after a convoy of about 600 flag-waving vehicles carrying about 1,000 Trump supporters gathered at a suburban Clackamas County shopping center before entering downtown Portland.
Ten people were arrested in the clashes, police said. They have not said if the shooting was related to the rally.
Crucial week for Trump ‘law and order’
Peter Bowes, BBC North America correspondent
The continuing violence on the streets of the United States highlights the changing tone of Donald Trump’s election campaign: criticizing the cities run by Democrats, where much of the trouble has occurred, and framing himself as the president of the law and order.
Portland has been the epicenter of Black Lives Matter protests since the police assassination of George Floyd, but the convergence of pro-Trump supporters, in large numbers, with anti-racist protesters marks a volatile escalation.
Tweeting “LAW AND ORDER” Hours after the latest riots, Trump makes it clear that the issue will dominate his call to the American people for a second term in office.
This could be a crucial week. On Tuesday, the president will head to Kenosha, in the political state of Wisconsin, where violent protests followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. The stated reason is for Trump to meet with local police and “investigate the damage from the recent riots.”
Many Americans will be on the lookout to see if the president also reaches out to Mr. Blake and his family and for any expressions of empathy towards those who are angered by police brutality.
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