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Patriot Prayer ‘supporter’ Aaron ‘Jay’ Danielson identified as Portland shooting victim

The man fatally shot in Portland, Ore., amid clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and backers of President Trump has been identified as Patriot Prayer “supporter” Aaron Danielson by the right-wing group’s head.

“We love Jay and he had such a huge heart,” wrote Joey Gibson, founder of the Washington-based group, in a Sunday Facebook post, using a nickname by which he initially identified Danielson. “God bless him and the life he lived.”

Trump praised the militia supporter with a post on Twitter that read: “Rest In Peace Jay!”

Aaron J. Danielson smiling wearing a baseball cap
Shooting victim Aaron J. DanielsonGoFundMe

Gibson withheld further comment in the post until Danielson’s family could speak out, but previously told the Associated Press that Danielson “was a good friend and a supporter of Patriot Prayer.”

Gibson told the outlet that he too was in the City of Roses on Saturday night, when Danielson was shot dead in the street around 8:45 p.m. local time.

Videos of the incident and its aftermath capture two shots ringing out, leaving Danielson lying in the street, face-down and motionless.

Both an apparent ally of the man and Black Lives Matter protesters tried to render aid to him before the police arrived, but his wounds proved fatal.

Local authorities did not immediately announce an arrest or publicly identify a suspect in the slaying.

The incident followed a day of violent clashes between protesters and a caravan of hundreds of Trump supporters that rolled into the city, escalating months-long tensions in the city.

Authorities respond to the scene where a man was fatally shot in Portland.
Authorities respond to the scene where a man was fatally shot in Portland.AP