Police deputized as U.S. Marshals who shot and killed a self-described anti-fascist wanted for the murder of a far-right supporter in downtown Portland last summer won’t face criminal charges, a Washington state prosecutor has decided.
Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim found the police officers who used deadly force against Michael Forest Reinoehl were “justified under Washington State law,” Tunheim wrote in a memo dated Monday that laid out his decision and legal analysis. “As such, no criminal charges will be filed against the involved officers by this office.”
Reinoehl was killed near Lacey, Wash. on Sept. 3, 2020, outside an apartment complex. The four members of the federal task force who fired their weapons at Reinoehl included Jacob Whitehurst with the Washington Department of Corrections, deputies James Oleole and Craig Gocha with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and Lakewood Police officer Michael Merrill. U.S. Marshals Service officer Ryan Kimmel was present as the shots were fired, but there’s no evidence that he fired his gun.
Hours before he was killed, Reinoehl was charged in the Aug. 29, 2020, slaying of Aaron Jay Danielson, a supporter of the far-right group Patriot Prayer. The killing drew national attention, in part because it came near the end of a summer of widespread racial justice protests in Portland that had become increasingly political, with far right groups counterprotesting in support of law enforcement. The subsequent manhunt was cheered on by then-President Trump who called on police to arrest Danielson’s killer. “Do your job, and do it fast,” Trump tweeted, an hour before Reinoehl was killed.
Tunheim’s review was based on an investigation conducted by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, which included photos, witness statements and crime lab reports. The officers involved did not provide recorded interviews, but submitted written statements, Tunheim noted. He also said Kimmel did not provide any statements, despite numerous requests.
From those statements, it’s clear the situation unfolded quickly, as Reinoehl was walking from an apartment to his car. Once inside the vehicle, the team moved in.
“When Reinoehl apparently realizes he is being confronted by police and appears to grab for something out of the sight of the officers, there was no reasonable alternative but to use deadly force,” Tunheim wrote. “If Reinoehl had produced a gun, he could have opened fire on the officers …”
It’s not clear whether Reinoehl fired at police. A .380-caliber handgun was found in his pocket. Task force officers told investigators they saw Reinoehl appearing to reach for his pocket.
“A later examination would reveal that the clip of the handgun clip was fully loaded and there was no round in the chamber,” Tunheim wrote. A .380-caliber spent round was found in the backseat of Reinoehl’s vehicle. While a crime lab analyst determined it came from Reinoehl’s gun, it’s not clear “when it was fired or how it came to be in the location it was found,” Tunheim wrote.
The .380 handgun found in Reinoehl’s pocket was later found to be the same gun used to kill Danielson in Portland days earlier.
Tunheim also stated in the 24-page document that he was concerned about how the Sept. 3 arrest attempt operation unfolded, as task force members struggled with radio issues that made it difficult for them to clearly communicate with one another. Tunheim noted that it created confusion during “the critical tactical decision to attempt an arrest” because the team’s leader could not communicate with the other members of the task force.
“In fact, the recorded radio traffic captured a debate among the members where some officers felt they should move in and at least one other expressed concern they were too far away and should wait,” Tunheim wrote. “It appears the decision to proceed with attempting an arrest was actually made by the two officers who simply decided to move in.”
He questioned the decision to continue with the operation without first finding a way to communicate and said radio communications were a “predictable issue” that should have included a contingency plan.
“The evidence suggests that Deputy Oleole and Officer Merrill ultimately made the decision to move in to make the arrest, and the other officers followed when they heard the announcement on the radio,” Tunheim wrote.
The prosecutor also noted in his memo that he was unable to resolve conflicting reports about whether or not the task force member activated their vehicles’ emergency lights as the officers moved in on Reinoehl. But Tunheim wrote that wasn’t a factor in determining whether force was justified.
Reinoehl’s family has hired attorneys and is exploring a possible civil lawsuit.
“It’s disappointing but not surprising,” said Braden Pence, an attorney representing Reinoehl’s family, referring to Tunheim’s report. “The family is continuing to review their options for a possible civil suit.”
This story may be updated.
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