Suspect in Patriot Prayer Shooting Killed by Police, Media Coverage Differs

On Thursday evening, a federal fugitive task force shot Michael Reinoehl when he allegedly tried to elude arrest. Reinoehl, a self-described anti-fascist, was charged with second-degree murder with a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon in the Aug. 29 shooting of Aaron “Jay” Danielson. Official accounts of Reinoehl's death from law enforcement differ slightly; the Thurston County Sheriff’s Department said in a press briefing that Reinoehl was running away when he was shot dead by officers with the Fugitive Task Force, while U.S. Marshals leading the task force said they attempted to "peacefully" arrest Reinoehl and shot him when he “produced a firearm, threatening the lives of law enforcement officers.” According to a police affidavit unsealed Friday, Reinoehl appears to have targeted Danielson, who was wearing a cap bearing the symbol of right-wing group Patriot Prayers at the time of the shooting; Reinhoel purportedly waited in the alcove of a parking garage before emerging and firing two gunshots, one of which allegedly proved fatal. In an interview shortly before his death, Reinoehl told VICE he was acting in self-defense. Coverage from some left-rated outlets tended to highlight the discrepancies in official accounts of Reinoehl's death; coverage from some center- and right-rated outlets tended to frame Reinoehl as an antifa and Black Lives Matter supporter, also highlighting Reinoehl's potential targeting of Danielson. Some right-rated outlets also criticized some left-rated media outlets for purportedly downplaying Reinoehl's antifa ties.