One person has been shot dead in Portland as clashes break out between pro-Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters
- A man was fatally shot in Portland on Saturday, on a night of confrontation between pro-Trump and Black Lives Matter supporters, according to multiple reports.
- Portland Police, who have opened a homicide investigation, has not confirmed whether the shooting was connected to the protests.
- Images of a man being treated for an apparent gunshot wound in Portland show a man in a Patriot Prayer hat. Police have not confirmed the identity of the shooting victim.
- Patriot Prayer is a Portland-based pro-Trump group with far-right connections.
- A caravan of around 600 vehicles had arrived to express support for President Donald Trump, according to the Associated Press (AP).
A man was shot and killed in Portland on Saturday evening, as protesters and counter-protesters clashed, according to multiple reports.
Portland Police have opened a homicide investigation. In a statement, the police did not say whether the shooting was connected to the confrontations downtown that evening between a large caravan of Trump supporters arriving in the city and Black Lives Matter protesters.
The identity of the man who was killed has not been confirmed. However, a photographer working on assignment for the Associated Press (AP) said the victim was wearing a hat with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a Portland-based pro-Trump group with far-right connections.
A Getty Images photograph from the protests also shows police treating a man, apparently white, at the scene in a Patriot Prayer hat. The block around the scene of the shooting has been cordoned off.
"Portland Police officers heard sounds of gunfire from the area of Southeast 3rd Avenue and Southwest Alder Street," read the police statement. "They responded and located a victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. Medical responded and determined that the victim was deceased."
During the day, a rally of around 600 vehicles in support of President Donald Trump had arrived in the city, according to the AP.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, police tweeted that there had been some clashes between the Trump supporters and the Portland protesters.
The shooting took place after most of the pro-Trump caravan had left downtown, according to local newspaper The Oregonian. Organizers of the rally had encouraged the Patriot Prayer protesters to arrive armed, but not to wear weapons openly, the paper reported.
This is the third consecutive weekend that has seen clashes between competing groups, according to the paper.
Portland has seen continual protests from Black Lives Matter supporters since the police killing of Black man George Floyd in late May.