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Cable network Vice News is planning to broadcast an interview tonight with an Oregon man who confesses to fatally shooting Patriot Prayer protester Aaron J. Danielson on Aug. 29.
In an announcement of the television show, Vice says Michael Reinoehl claims he acted in self-defense, alleging right-wing protesters were going to stab one of his friends if he didn't pull the trigger.
"You know, lots of lawyers suggest that I shouldn't even be saying anything, but I feel it's important that the world at least gets a little bit of what's really going on," Reinoehl tells Vice.
Reinoehl, 48, is a self-described anti-fascist snowboarder who was arrested in July for bringing a handgun to a downtown protest. (Oregon Public Broadcasting examined his background in detail this afternoon.) He has been described in media reports as a person of interest, but police have not said if he is a suspect in the death of Danielson.
Tonight's interview is likely to change his legal standing. It also arrives at a volatile moment, granting a prominent platform to a confessed killer in a politically charged homicide that has the city of Portland fearing reprisals and an escalation of violence.
The shooting of Danielson occurred minutes after a truck caravan supporting President Trump passed through town, with participants shooting paintballs and taunting counterprotesters. Danielson was wearing the insignia of conservative protest group Patriot Prayer, which has regularly visited Portland seeking violent confrontations with anti-fascists.
A Portland police spokesman tells WW the investigation is ongoing.