One shot dead as rival protesters clash in Portland

One person was shot dead in Portland late on Saturday as protesters from rival groups clashed in the northwest U.S. city, which has seen frequent demonstrations for months that have at times turned violent.

Police statements on Saturday said both the death and protest violence took place in Portland’s downtown area.

“A Homicide Investigation is underway in downtown Portland after a shooting Saturday evening,” a Portland police spokesman said in an emailed statement.

Sounds of gunfire were heard in the area of Southeast 3rd Avenue and Southwest Alder Street, according to the statement.

“(Police) responded and located a victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. Medical responded and determined that the victim was deceased,” the statement said.

The police said they were not currently releasing suspect information.

When asked by Reuters if the shooting in downtown Portland was related to the clashes between rival protesters in the same are, the spokesman said “it is too early in the investigation to draw those kinds of conclusions”.

A New York Times report cited two unidentified witnesses saying a small group of people got into an argument with other people in a vehicle and someone opened fire.

Separately, Portland police earlier said in a tweet that a “political rally is caravanning throughout downtown Portland” and that there had been “some instances of violence between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators.”

Police had intervened and made some arrests, the tweet said.

REUTERS