A right wing group member was shot and killed as Trump supporters clash with the Black Lives Matter movement protesters at Portland, Oregon on Saturday.
Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson said that he was in Portland on Saturday night when supporters clashed with protesters in the streets of downtown.
He arrived shortly after the shooting happened but was briefly corralled by angry protesters in a nearby gas station.
“I can’t say much right now. All I can do is verify that he was a good friend and a supporter of Patriot Prayer,” said Gibson about the shooting victim.
The Portland police seek for videos, photos or eyewitness accounts of the killing as it is still unclear if the shooting was related to the clashes.
“It is still early in this investigation, and I ask everyone to give the detectives time to do their important work before drawing conclusions about what took place,” Police Chief Chuck Lovell said.
“If anyone can provide information about this case, I ask them to please reach out to our detectives. This violence is completely unacceptable and we are working diligently to find and apprehend the individual or individuals responsible.”
In a statement, the Portland Police Bureau said:
“Portland Police officers heard sounds of 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. Medical responded and determined that the victim was deceased.”
Two hours before the shooting, protesters gathered downtown and there was sporadic fighting and vandalism that led to police arresting ten people.
The arrival of the caravan downtown marked the third Saturday in a row that Trump supporters have rallied in the city.
Trump encouraged his supporters to move into Portland via Twitter on Sunday.
The President wrote, “GREAT PATRIOTS!” on a video he shared showing his supporters driving into Portland to confront the protesters.