Situation Report: 1 Dead, multiple people injured at Portland protest shooting

A shoot-out between a homeowner and multiple armed protestors left one dead and multiple people injured at Portland’s Normandale Park Sunday night. The event was a solidarity event to highlight the death of Amir Locke, whose death in Minneapolis during a police swat raid has re-invigorated anti-police protests in recent weeks.

According to one local news report, the confrontation began at a roadblock where protest members were conducting “traffic control.” Checkpoints and roadblocks help armed antifa groups establish dominance and delegitimize lawful authority. They are also the most likely place where bystanders will interact with Antifa members, and as such have a higher likelihood of violence.

Police took two people into custody and Antifa-linked “journalist” Melissa Lewis claimed that “one of us got a chunk of the shooter,” indicating an exchange of gunfire. Media reports note that the homeowner and three others remain in critical condition.

Portland Police called the crime scene “extremely chaotic,” and noted that multiple witnesses were non-cooperative with police, unsurprising given Antifa’s aggressively anti-police ideology. Antifa-aligned accounts directed witnesses against talking to police and warned against sharing information on social media. A post identifying the aliases or “bloc names” of several alleged gunshot victims was quickly deleted, although the one identified the deceased under the name “T-Rex” appears confirmed, as Antifa graffiti memorials have begun to spring up using the name.

According to social media posts, Antifa-aligned “street medics” attempted to provide first aid to the shooting victims until the arrival of police.

Self-designated medics, who may or may not have emergency trauma skills, are a common fixture of Antifa events. In addition to providing medical support, such medics have been known to deliberately foul crime scenes and remove evidence such as shell casings. Video posted by Post Millennial shows multiple protestors moving within the crime scene, some providing care, even after the arrival of first responders.

Reports by local media cite law enforcement stating they believe shell casings were removed from the Normandale Park crime scene. Crime scene preservation should be a major concern for law enforcement in any incident where Antifa groups are active.

Post Millennial editor Andy Ngo identified the protest organizers as Justice For Patrick Kimmons (JFPK), a group known for conducting armed unpermitted marches, which have resulted in violence between the group and bystanders. In a viral video from May of 2021, armed protestors at a JFPK march can be seen pointing a variety of firearms at nearby drivers, provoking an armed stand-off.

As the Center has previously urged:

Where possible, police should avoid protestors being permitted to utilize checkpoints and roadblocks, especially while armed. First, because of the risk of loss of life.  Second, because of the propaganda value Antifa groups derive from being able to perform what is essentially a police function of traffic control… Because roadblocks and checkpoints controlled by armed protestors substantially increase the danger to the public, state legislators should consider legislation to strengthen penalties for protestors who block roadways during an illegal assembly.