Jump directly to the content

ANTIFA "killer" Michael Reinoehl predicted a "civil war" in the United States and said shooting at Trump supporters felt like the "first shot."

, 48, said he acted as "security" at the protests – but he was also a person of interest in the killing of Aaron “Jay” Danielson on August 29.

Michael Reinoehl died this week in a clash with law enforcement who tried to arrest him after saying he was being 'hunted'
15
Michael Reinoehl died this week in a clash with law enforcement who tried to arrest him after saying he was being 'hunted'Credit: Facebook
Aaron Danielson was a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer
15
Aaron Danielson was a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot PrayerCredit: Facebook
A Washington State Patrol Crime Lab worker looks at evidence markers in the early hours of Friday morning where Reinoehl was killed
15
A Washington State Patrol Crime Lab worker looks at evidence markers in the early hours of Friday morning where Reinoehl was killedCredit: AP:Associated Press

“Honestly, I hate to say it, but I see a civil war right around the corner," Reinoehl told . "That shot felt like the beginning of a war."

after he reportedly opened fire on a US Marshals task force with an "assault rifle" when they tried to arrest him in Lacey, , which is southwest of Seattle.

He claimed to be a veteran, described himself as "100 percent ," and spoke of a coming "civil war" amid the chaos sweeping America.

 from  a man with the same neck tattoo as him fire two shots at Danielson, a member of “Patriot Prayer,” a right-wing group, before walking away.

Reinoehl – who went into hiding with his family before his fatal arrest – claimed he didn't know he had shot Danielson, who was with a caravan of supporters.

He claimed it all started with a confrontation with a man who supposedly threatened him and a friend with a knife, Reinoehl said two weeks later.

Reinoehl reportedly died on Thursday when federal fugitive task force agents tried to apprehend him
15
Reinoehl reportedly died on Thursday when federal fugitive task force agents tried to apprehend himCredit: Reuters
He went on the run with his family
15
He went on the run with his familyCredit: Facebook
Reinoehl was killed in Lacey, Washington, southwest of Seattle
15
Reinoehl was killed in Lacey, Washington, southwest of SeattleCredit: Instagram

“Had I stepped forward, he would have maced or stabbed me,” he recalled, expressing that he had no regrets about his actions.

“If the life of anybody I care about is in danger, and there's something I can do to prevent it," Reinoehl continued. "I think that any good human being would do the same thing.

“I’ve got a viable case for self-defense and protection because there’s a definite threat to my life.”

Reinoehl told the journalist he "had no choice" but to open fire, claiming: "I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color. But I wasn't going to do that.”

Danielson was shot dead at a clash between pro-Trump and BLM protesters
15
Danielson was shot dead at a clash between pro-Trump and BLM protestersCredit: AP:Associated Press
Reinoehl showed a bruise from snowboarding in an Instagram photo
15
Reinoehl showed a bruise from snowboarding in an Instagram photoCredit: Instagram
Reinoehl stands outside Mayor Ted Wheeler's home during a protest on August 28, 2020
15
Reinoehl stands outside Mayor Ted Wheeler's home during a protest on August 28, 2020Credit: AP:Associated Press

Chandler Pappas was with 39-year-old Danielson when he was killed after his attackers apparently said: "We got a couple of them right here."

"I think they were looking for someone just like us, unprotected who didn't bring guns because we didn't have the intention to kill anyone," Pappas said. "Jay's not a racist, a xenophobe or whatever. He's not an 'ist' or 'ism.'"  

Before his death, Reinoehl explained that he had acted as a security guard at the increasingly fraught demonstrations in the city.

The  that he was arrested in July for carrying a loaded handgun and resisting arrest and later, he was  trying to take a gun from a right-wing demonstrator.

Reinoehl posted a photo of himself from a snowboarding trip on his Instagram
15
Reinoehl posted a photo of himself from a snowboarding trip on his InstagramCredit: Instagram
Reinoehl is claimed to have opened fire on police
15
Reinoehl is claimed to have opened fire on policeCredit: AP:Associated Press
An investigator works at the scene where Reinoehl was killed
15
An investigator works at the scene where Reinoehl was killedCredit: AP:Associated Press

On Saturday, August 29, Reinoehl decided to get involved and head to the protest after seeing the pro-Trump caravan counter-protest, which he claimed was "heavily-armed."

“I’m seeing all these vehicles with hatred, people in the backs of the trucks yelling and screaming and swinging bats and sticks at protesters that are just standing there yelling at them,” he said.

He claimed that he feared he and his friend would get stabbed at around 8.45pm which, he said, is why he fired the shots.

Reinoehl said that he didn't want to turn himself in because he felt the were working with right-wing protesters.

"I feel that they're trying to, you know, put other charges on me. They’ll find another way to keep me in,” the fugitive father said before his death.

Protests erupted on the streets of Portland in the wake of 's police custody death in on May 25.

The civil unrest escalated again last month after Kenosha cops shot another unarmed black man , 29, at least seven times in , leaving him paralyzed.

Chandler Pappas was with the 39-year-old Danielson when he was shot dead
15
Chandler Pappas was with the 39-year-old Danielson when he was shot deadCredit: The Common Sense Conservative
Danielson receives treatment after being shot on August 29
15
Danielson receives treatment after being shot on August 29Credit: AP:Associated Press
A man who was with the victim of a fatal shooting reacts as Portland police restrain him
15
A man who was with the victim of a fatal shooting reacts as Portland police restrain himCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Portland’s ‘MAGA martyr’ Jay Bishop was ‘hunted down and executed’ by ‘Antifa gunman’ for being a Trump supporter, pal says
Topics