(Image source from: ft.com)

One person was shot and killed on Saturday in Portland as Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter supporters clashed in the streets.

Clashes erupted in Oregon, Portland after Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protestors went loggerheads on the streets.

It was unclear if the shooting of the man, while the clashes were ongoing, was linked to the fights that broke out as a caravan of about 600 vehicles was confronted by counter-demonstrators in the city’s downtown.

Police said that the caravan has left the area around 8 30 pm and the officers had heard the gunshot at 8 46 pm. Officers arrived at the shooting scene within a minute but the man who was shot did not survive.

An associated press freelance photographer heard three gunshots and then observed police medics working on the body of the victim who appeared to be a white man. The freelancer said that the man was wearing a hat bearing the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a right-wing group whose members have frequently clashed with protestors in Portland in the past.

Police said that the man was shot in the chest and he was not immediately identified. It is unclear who had shot him.

Homicide detectives were looking for more evidence acknowledging that several images and videos have already been posted on social media.

A police statement said that it is important for detectives to get a full and accurate picture of what happened before, during, and after the shooting.

Portland has been the site of nightly protests for more than 3 months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Many of them end in vandalism and violence and hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested by local and federal enforcement since late May.

In the two hours following the shooting protestors have gathered in downtown and there was sporadic fight and vandalism and some of them even gave speeches in Lownsdale square park before the protests ripped.

This chaotic scene came two days after Trump had invoked Portland as a liberal city overrun with violence in a speech at the Republican National Convention as a part of his law and order re-election campaign.

Trump and other speakers at last week’s convention evoked a violent future if Democratic Presidential hopeful Joe Biden wins in November and pointed to Portland as a cautionary tale for what would be in store for the Americans.

Videos from the scene on social media showed sporadic fighting as well as Trump supporters firing paintball pellets at opponents and using bear spray as counter-protestors threw things at the Trump’s caravan.

By Gayatri Yellayi