(Law Enforcement Today) The estate of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, the 39-year-old man who was murdered in August of 2020 by Antifa militant Michael Reinoehl, is reportedly suing the city of Portland and local leadership – alleging a sort of negligence by city officials that led to the “preventable” death of Danielson.
As we have previously reported here at Law Enforcement Today, the now-deceased Reinoehl – who was later killed in a police shooting while being tracked down for Danielson’s murder – lied in wait on August 29th of 2020 before running up to Danielson and fatally shooting him after the victim had participated in a pro-Trump demonstration in Portland.
On September 10th, 2021, the estate of Danielson filed a $13 million federal lawsuit against the city of Portland, Mayor Ted Wheeler and the county district attorney.
Estate attorney Christopher Cauble alleges that the city’s officials employed a “hands off” policing strategy in response to violent groups like Antifa results in a “culture of vigilante policing” between groups when confronting each other:
“We are seeking justice for the preventable death of a young man, gunned down in a city with a dangerous and deadly hands-off approach to public safety.”
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Named within the suit, outside of the city and Mayor Wheeler, is also Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schmidt. Â
The suit alleges that DA Schmidt’s August 2020 proclamation of his office avoiding prosecutions for “public order crimes” such as criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, and even rioting, and instead focus on more serious offenses like such as property damage or assaults undoubtedly contributed to the chaos that set the stage for Danielson to be murdered.
