One person injured and two arrested after shooting at protest in downtown Portland

Authorities are investigating a shooting at a protest in downtown Portland as demonstrations against police brutality continued for a 60th consecutive night in cities across the US on Sunday.  

Reports of shots fired at Portland’s Lownsdale Square emerged at around 7.30pm local time as witnesses said a fight broke out between several armed individuals. 

The Portland Police Department confirmed that two people had been taken into custody following the incident and said one person was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.  

Meanwhile in Austin, Texas, thousands of people attended a vigil honoring 28-year-old Garret Foster, who was shot and killed by a person who drove through a crowd of marchers the night before.  

In Alexandria, Virginia, protesters flocked to the home of Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to decry the deployment of federal officers in cities including Portland, Seattle and Oakland. 

PORTLAND, OREGON: Authorities are investigating a shooting at a protest in downtown Portland as demonstrations against police brutality continued for a 60th consecutive night in cities across the US on Sunday. Pictured: Police escort a man in a red shirt out of Lownsdale Square following reports of shots fired

PORTLAND, OREGON: A man suspected of being involved in Sunday night's shooting is taken into police custody

PORTLAND, OREGON: A man suspected of being involved in Sunday night’s shooting is taken into police custody 

PORTLAND, OREGON: Police say one person was injured by gunfire and two were taken into custody after the shooting

PORTLAND, OREGON: Police say one person was injured by gunfire and two were taken into custody after the shooting

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Thousands of people attended a vigil on Sunday night honoring 28-year-old Garret Foster, who was shot and killed by a person who drove through a crowd of marchers the night before

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Thousands of people attended a vigil on Sunday night honoring 28-year-old Garret Foster, who was shot and killed by a person who drove through a crowd of marchers the night before

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: Protesters flocked to the home of Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in Alexandria on Sunday night to decry the deployment of federal officers in US cities

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: Protesters flocked to the home of Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in Alexandria on Sunday night to decry the deployment of federal officers in US cities 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A large crowd of Los Angeles protesters marched in solidarity with Portland on Sunday

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A large crowd of Los Angeles protesters marched in solidarity with Portland on Sunday 

Portland, Oregon 

Sunday night’s apparent shooting in Portland capped off a weekend of violent protests in the city where federal agents were deployed to quell unrest but ultimately only exacerbated the chaos.  

Witnesses reported hearing at least two shots ring out before people were seen fleeing out of Lownsdale Square.  

KPTV’s Kandra Kent spoke to one witness who tried to break up the fight that led up to the shooting. 

That witness claimed that there were three to four guns were involved, and the first shot erupted during a struggle for control of a gun.  

Officers were seen escorting one man out of the square before protesters began trying to pressure police to leave the area. 

Police confirmed that two people had been taken into custody in connection with the incident. 

They initially said that no one appeared to be injured but later revealed that one person had been hospitalized with a non-life threatening gunshot wound. 

None of the people involved in the incident have been identified and its unclear if the incident was connected to the demonstrations.  

PORTLAND, OREGON: Officers were seen escorting one man (center in red) out of Lownsdale Square after the shooting

PORTLAND, OREGON: Officers were seen escorting one man (center in red) out of Lownsdale Square after the shooting

PORTLAND, OREGON: Protesters were seen trying to pressure police officers away from the square after the shooting

PORTLAND, OREGON: Police stand guard outside the Justice Center during clashes with Black Lives Matter demonstrators

PORTLAND, OREGON: Police stand guard outside the Justice Center during clashes with Black Lives Matter demonstrators

Elsewhere in Portland a group of middle-age largely suburban women dubbed the Wall of Moms formed a small march on Sunday – but their numbers appeared to have dwindled in recent days. 

Over the past week hundreds of ‘Moms’ dressed in signature yellow shirts gathered to form a wall between federal police and the BLM protestors, but on Sunday night approximately 50 showed up.

One of the organizers told the crowd they don’t have enough Moms to form a wall tonight but asked other members of the group if they could help them out to form their nightly wall.

At the Justice Center where there are usually several thousand people in attendance at the rally only about 500 showed up as of 9.30pm. 

But fears remain that Sunday’s demonstrations could descend into violence as they did the night before, when protesters breached a fence surrounding the city’s federal courthouse building where the agents have been stationed.

Police declared the situation to be a riot and at around 1.20am Sunday began ordering people to leave the area surrounding the courthouse or risk arrest, saying on Twitter that the violence had created ‘a grave risk’ to the public.

About 20 minutes later, federal officers and local police could be seen attempting to clear the area and deploying tear gas, however protesters remained – forming lines across intersections and holding makeshift shields as police patrolled and closed blocks abutting the area.

Multiple arrests were made, but it was not immediately clear how many.

PORTLAND, OREGON: A group of female protesters form a line as they prepare to march through Portland on Sunday night

PORTLAND, OREGON: A group of female protesters form a line as they prepare to march through Portland on Sunday night

PORTLAND, OREGON: A group of middle-age largely suburban women dubbed the Wall of Moms formed a small march on Sunday - but their numbers appeared to have dwindled in recent days

PORTLAND, OREGON: A group of middle-age largely suburban women dubbed the Wall of Moms formed a small march on Sunday – but their numbers appeared to have dwindled in recent days

PORTLAND, OREGON: One of the organizers told the crowd they don't have enough Moms to form a wall tonight but asked other members of the group if they could help them out to form their nightly wall

PORTLAND, OREGON: One of the organizers told the crowd they don’t have enough Moms to form a wall tonight but asked other members of the group if they could help them out to form their nightly wall

PORTLAND, OREGON: Protesters are seen camping out in tents at Portland's Lownsdale Square on Sunday night

PORTLAND, OREGON: Protesters are seen camping out in tents at Portland’s Lownsdale Square on Sunday night 

Austin, Texas  

Protesters held a vigil on Sunday evening at the site where Foster was killed in downtown Austin on Saturday night.   

Garrett Foster (pictured with his fiancee), was shot dead during a protest in Austin on Saturday night

Garrett Foster (pictured with his fiancee), was shot dead during a protest in Austin on Saturday night 

The crowd erupted in chants of ‘Say his name … Garrett Foster’ and held a moment of silence honoring the slain 28-year-old. 

Following the vigil, the sea of protesters made their way to the Texas State Capitol to finish the march that had been disrupted the night before.  

It came hours after Austin Police Chief Brian Manley confirmed that Foster was carrying a rifle when he approached the vehicle that the person suspected of shooting him was in. 

Manley said the suspect shot out of their car at Foster and then called 911 to report that they had shot someone who pointed a gun at their vehicle. 

The suspect, who has not been named publicly, was arrested following the shooting and later released on Sunday as the incident remains under investigation.  

Sheila Foster, Garrett’s mother, said she was told her son was pushing his fiancee, who uses a wheelchair, through an intersection when the suspect was driving ‘erratically’ through the crowd.

She said she was told the driver shot her son three times.

Foster (pictured with his fiancee) was seen holding an AK-47 while speaking to media before he was killed Saturday night

Foster (pictured with his fiancee) was seen holding an AK-47 while speaking to media before he was killed Saturday night

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Protesters are seen during a demonstration that following Foster's vigil on Sunday night

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Protesters are seen during a demonstration that following Foster’s vigil on Sunday night 

Alexandria, Virginia

Dozens of protesters flocked to the home of acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf on Sunday afternoon to condemn the deployment of federal officers who have forcefully detained and tear gassed demonstrators in Portland.  

The protest was organized by ShutDownDC, a group which considers Wolf to be responsible for the actions of the federal agents and is demanding that they be removed from every city in the US.  

Jonathan Krall, of Grassroots Alexandria, spoke to WTOP at the protest and decried the human rights abuses occurring in Portland.  

‘The behavior of the DHS is extremely worrying,’ Krall said. ‘There should be due process. There shouldn’t be people picked up without paperwork. There shouldn’t be people picked up without documentation of what’s going on.’ 

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: Dozens of protesters flocked to the home of acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf on Sunday afternoon to condemn the deployment of federal officers who have forcefully detained and tear gassed demonstrators in Portland

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: Dozens of protesters flocked to the home of acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf on Sunday afternoon to condemn the deployment of federal officers who have forcefully detained and tear gassed demonstrators in Portland

Seattle, Washington 

In Seattle, another city with a large presence of federal agents, thousands of people took to the streets of the Capitol Hill neighborhood on Sunday afternoon for largely peaceful protest.  

Tensions between protesters and police officers reached a boiling point hours earlier as the latter group retreated into a precinct station after midnight following large demonstrations in the area surrounding the Capitol.  

Some demonstrators lingered after officers filed into the department’s East Precinct at around 1am, but most cleared out a short time later, according to video posted online.

Rocks, bottles, fireworks and mortars were fired at police during the weekend unrest, and police said they arrested at least 45 people for assaults on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse.

Twenty-one officers were hurt, with most of their injuries considered minor, police said. 

Los Angeles, California

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Los Angeles for a march in solidarity with the people of Portland on Sunday. 

The marchers carried signs attacking the actions of federal protesters on the ground in US cities, as well as repeated pleas to defund LA’s own police department. 

Sunday’s march shut down a major roadway in the heart of the city but remained peaceful as police kept a safe distance. 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Protesters stepped out in Los Angeles on Sunday for a march in solidarity with Portland 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The marchers carried signs attacking the actions of federal protesters on the ground in US cities, as well as repeated pleas to defund LA's own police department

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The marchers carried signs attacking the actions of federal protesters on the ground in US cities, as well as repeated pleas to defund LA’s own police department

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A woman carries a massive Black Lives Matter banner in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A woman carries a massive Black Lives Matter banner in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon

source: dailymail.co.uk