AG Barr on Michael Reinoehl’s Killing: ‘Our Cities Are Safer with this Violent Agitator Removed’

Attorney General William Barr on Friday lauded law enforcement after the killing of self-professed Portland Antifa member and murder suspect Michael Forest Reinoehl, saying American cities are safer with him off the streets.

“Last Saturday, Aaron ‘Jay’ Danielson was shot and killed amid the continuing violence in Portland. Local authorities subsequently obtained an arrest warrant for Michael Forest Reinoehl, a self-described Antifa member suspected of the alleged murder,” Barr said in a statement. “Reinoehl fled to Washington State, where he was located yesterday by members of a fugitive task force led by the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, and state and local law enforcement partners. When Reinoehl attempted to escape arrest and produced a firearm, he was shot and killed by law enforcement officers.”

“The tracking down of Reinoehl — a dangerous fugitive, admitted Antifa member, and suspected murderer — is a significant accomplishment in the ongoing effort to restore law and order to Portland and other cities,” he added. “I applaud the outstanding cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement, particularly the fugitive task force team that located Reinoehl and prevented him from escaping justice.  The streets of our cities are safer with this violent agitator removed, and the actions that led to his location are an unmistakable demonstration that the United States will be governed by law, not violent mobs.”

Reinoehl was fatally shot by federal task force members after they attempted to peacefully arrest him in Lacey, Washington. The radical leftist was suspected of shooting dead Danielson on Saturday evening, multiple reports say.

“Initial reports indicate the suspect produced a firearm, threatening the lives of law enforcement officers. Task force members responded to the threat and struck the suspect who was pronounced dead at the scene,” the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement.

As Breitbart News reported protesters in Portland paid homage to Reinoehl following news of his demise.

Portland Police rush out to clear #antifa rioters at the Kelly Penumbra police building. People there have been mourning the death of Portland antifa Michael Reinoehl, who killed Aaron Danielson last weekend. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/eTuAmmzGDb

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 4, 2020

Just hours before Reinoehl’s killing Vice News released an interview with him, where it appears he confessed to shooting dead Danielson, stating: “I had no choice.”