Federal judge dismisses wrongful death suit against law enforcement in shooting of Portland Antifa killer Michael Reinoehl

A federal judge has dismissed a $1 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Michael Reinoehl, the Portland Antifa gunman who was shot and killed by the US Marshals Service Task Force in 2020. Reinoehl, 48, was on the run after killing a Trump supporter during a protest in downtown Portland when he was killed by police in Washington state on a murder warrant. 

Reinoehl's family filed the civil rights lawsuit in 2023, alleging that the officers on the task force, made up of federal, state, and local police, failed to properly identify themselves before firing more than 40 bullets at Reinoehl and had no other plans than to use deadly force. US District Court Judge David Estudillo for the Western District of Washington ruled last month that the officers acted in lawful authority and dismissed the suit.

Reinoehl, who self-identified as a member of Antifa, shot and killed 39-year-old Aaron "Jay" Danielson in downtown Portland, Oregon, on August 29, 2020. He fatally shot Danielson while the victim was walking down the street with a friend following the conclusion of a pro-Trump caravan. Danielson was a supporter of the conservative "Patriot Prayer" group, which is based in the Portland area. The killing occurred while the city was under siege from the nightly Antifa-BLM riots in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Following the killing of Danielson, Reinoehl went on the run and was located hiding out at an apartment complex in Lacey, Washington, located about 40 miles south of Seattle. On September 3, 2020, officers from the US Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force confronted Reinoehl after he entered a vehicle outside of the apartment complex. Officers surrounded the vehicle and fired shots at Reinoehl after he was seen reaching for something in his car. 

Reinoehl then exited the vehicle and ran behind it. Officers continued firing shots until Reinoehl collapsed in the street near a set of mailboxes, according to the Thuston County Sheriff's Office. More than 40 shots were fired at Reinoehl during the operation. An autopsy report found that he died from gunshot wounds to the head and upper torso, per the Oregonian.

Michael Reinoehl self-identified as "100% ANTIFA"

The family's lawsuit contended that the task force failed to establish an effective command system for the officers to follow at the scene and failed to devise a plan to safely arrest Reinoehl. The family also alleged that the officers retaliated against Reinoehl for his far-left political views and his participation in anti-police riots. But Judge Estudillo found no wrongdoing in the officers' actions that day.

"The Court finds that the USMS Special Deputies here were acting under color of federal law. The record shows that this operation was federal throughout," Judge Estudillo wrote in his decision. "It is clear that there was some plan to arrest Reinoehl and some command structure. Whether those plans were sufficiently thorough or properly accounted for the risks of the arrest is the kind of policy judgement that the discretionary function exception denies this Court jurisdiction to consider."

"This Court's role is not to decide if (USMS' Violent Offender Task Force's) plan was a good plan, or a complete or thorough one that adequately accounted for all risks and contingencies - that is the kind of second guessing that the (Federal Tort Claims Act) does not permit the Court to engage in," said Estudillo.
 

The killing garnered national attention and a strong condemnation from President Trump, who lauded the manhunt for Reinoehl on X, formerly Twitter, and called on police to "Do your job, and do it fast." Reinoehl was killed shortly after.

On September 12, Trump commended the US Marshals Task Force for their "strength" and "bravery." The president said in an interview that Reinoehl was "a violent criminal, and the US Marshals killed him. And I will tell you something, that's the way it has to be. There has to be retribution when you have crime like this."

Prior to his death, Reinoehl described himself as an "antifascist" and declared in a post on Instagram that he was "100% ANTIFA." While on the run as a fugitive from murder, Reinoehl gave an interview to Vice News, where he was portrayed as a victim by the leftwing publication. Vice News received immense backlash after the interview was published while authorities were actively working to locate Reinoehl.

Before murdering Danielson, Reinoehl was a frequent participant at Antifa's far-left anti-police protests and was arrested and charged for unlawful possession of a firearm during one of the protests. All of the charges against him were dropped by Mike Schmidt, the former leftist Multnomah County District Attorney. Additionally, Reinoehl had suggested that tactics used by counter-protesters amounted to "warfare" before he shot and killed Danielson.

As Danielson lay dead on the ground, Antifa and leftist protesters formed a rally to celebrate the killing. The group falsely accused Danielson of being a "Nazi" because he was a Trump supporter.