Camas resident Joey Gibson, leader of Patriot Prayer, paid tribute to Aaron Danielson in a Facebook post
A man shot and killed in downtown Portland Saturday night has been identified as a supporter of Patriot Prayer, the organization led by Camas resident Joey Gibson.
The Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an investigation into this death and the decedent has been positively identified as 39-year-old Aaron J. Danielson, of Portland.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office has conducted an autopsy and determined the manner of death to be homicide and the cause of death gunshot wound of the chest.
Gibson referred to Danielson in a Facebook post by the name “Jay.’’ Gibson also shared a GoFundMe fundraiser for the family of Aaron Danielson.
“We love Jay and he had such a huge heart,’’ Gibson wrote. “God bless him and the life he lived.’’
Gibson said he was waiting for Danielson’s family to provide their own statement before he commented further on Danielson’s death.
“I am going to wait to make any public statements until after the family can,’’ Gibson wrote.
Lacamas Magazine Editor Ernie Geigenmiller reported that he saw Danielson at Friday’s duel protest rallies/protests by area residents separately supporting law enforcement and Black Lives Matter.
Reports indicate that Danielson was shot and killed at about 8:45 p.m. Saturday night in downtown Portland, where nightly riots and protests against law enforcement have taken place for nearly 100 consecutive days. Multiple reports indicated that Danielson was targeted by his assailant because he was wearing clothing that identified him as a supporter of Patriot Prayer.
Tensions reportedly escalated in the downtown area Saturday after a vehicle caravan passed through Portland. The caravan, which reportedly had nearly 1,000 vehicles, gathered Saturday afternoon in Clackamas before traveling through the city and the downtown area. Social media photos show the vehicles displaying support for President Donald Trump and flying U.S. and Thin Blue Line flags.
OregonLive.com reported that organizers of the vehicle caravan called for its participants to leave the downtown Portland area at about 8 p.m. It was less than an hour later that Danielson was shot and killed.
Video footage on social media has identified a suspect in Danielson’s death. The Portland Police Bureau has not officially identified a suspect or an arrest.
