Aug. 30 (UPI) -- One man died in a shooting during demonstrations that involved a caravan of Donald Trump supporters and a counter-protest by various groups late Saturday night.
It was the 94th night in a row of protests against systemic racism and police brutality.
The shooting also sparked criticism by Trump and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler of each other.
Portland police said the man was shot around 8:45 p.m. after most of the Trump caravan had left downtown. And police didn't say whether his death was related to the protests but next to the body was camouflage gear with infidel and thin blue line patches, which commonly indicate support for law enforcement. He reportedly wore a hat with a Patriot Prayer logo, which represents a far-right group.
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Groups on both sides were getting heated with each other just before the shooting, a witness told KOIN-TV.
A vehicle rally in support of Trump began at 4 p.m. near Clackamas Town Center. Pickup trucks had American flags, "Thin Blue Line" flags and Trump 2020 flags.
Demonstrators were urged to come armed, but not carry their firearms openly.
Earlier Saturday night, police police posted on Twitter there is a "political rally is caravanning throughout downtown Portland. There have been some instances of violence between demonstrators and counterdemonstrators. Officers have intervened and in some cases made arrests."
People were asked to avoid downtown because of traffic.
For three weekends competing groups have clashed downtown.
On Aug. 15, one person fired shots inside a parking garage.
On Sunday morning, Trump posted on Twitter: "Our great National Guard could solve these problems in less than 1 hour. Local authorities must ask before it is too late. People of Portland, and other Democrat run cities, are disgusted with Schumer, Pelosi, and thier local 'leaders' They want Law & Order!"
Trump criticized Wheeler in a series of tweets.
"Ted Wheeler, the wacky Radical Left Do Nothing Democrat Mayor of Portland, who has watched great death and destruction of his City during his tenure, thinks this lawless situation should go on forever. Wrong! Portland will never recover with a fool for a Mayor.
"He tried mixing with the Agitators and Anarchists and they mocked him. He would like to blame me and the Federal Government for going in, but he hasn't seen anything yet. We have only been there with a small group to defend our U.S. Courthouse, because he couldn't do it."
Wheeler, hours later during a news conference, returned the criticism.
"It's you who have created the hate and the division," Wheeler said. "It's you who have not found a way to say the names of Black people killed by police officers even as people in law enforcement have. And it's you who claimed that White supremacists are good people.
"Your campaign of fear is as anti-democratic as anything you've done to create hate and vitriol in our beautiful country."
Oregon Gov. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, also blasted Trump in a statement Sunday afternoon.
"For the last several years, and escalating in recent months, President Trump has encouraged division and stoked violence," she wrote. "It happened in Charlottesville. It happened in Kenosha. And now, unfortunately, it is happening in Portland, Oregon.
"But despite the President's jeers and tweets, this is a matter of life and death. Whether it's his completely incompetent response to the pandemic, where nearly 200,000 have died, or his outright encouragement of violence in our streets: it should be clear to everyone by now that no one is truly safe with Donald Trump as President."
