Luke Carrillo (center) speaks about Aaron Danielson at a news conference in Portland, Oregon. Danielson, a supporter of the right-wing Patriot Prayer group, was killed on Saturday as supporters of President Donald Trump and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed. (AP Photo/Aron Ranen)

Luke Carrillo (center) speaks about Aaron Danielson at a news conference in Portland, Oregon. Danielson, a supporter of the right-wing Patriot Prayer group, was killed on Saturday as supporters of President Donald Trump and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed. (AP Photo/Aron Ranen)

Trump, friends mourn right-wing activist killed in Portland

Police are asking for witnesses and those who had taken video of the scene to contact them.

  • By ANDREW SELSKY, GILLIAN FLACCUS and BERNARD CONDON Associated Press
  • Tuesday, September 1, 2020 9:23am
  • Northwest

By Andrew Selsky, Gillian Flaccus and Bernard Condon / Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — A supporter of a right-wing group who was shot dead on a Portland, Oregon, street was mourned by both friends and President Donald Trump as a victim of mob violence while an online fundraising effort raised tens of thousands of dollars in his memory.

Just hours before he was shot in the chest Saturday night, 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson and a friend were seen heading downtown to protect a flag-waving caravan of Trump supporters. They wore hats with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a group that has clashed with left-wing protesters in Portland for years, and appeared armed with knives and paintball guns.

“Paint is a defensive mechanism. Paint is not bullets,” Trump said during his White House briefing Monday, adding that someone connected with violent protests “shot a young gentleman and killed him. Not with paint but with a bullet.”

In cellphone video of the shooting, both Danielson and his assailant were seen on a darkened street. At least three shots rang out in a smoky haze, followed by images of Danielson crumpled on the ground as the friend, Chandler Pappas, slaps him in the face and rolls him over, yelling “Jay! Jay!”

“He was a good man and he was just killed senselessly for no reason other than he believed something different than they do,” Pappas told supporters during a rally Sunday. “He was Christian. He was conservative.”

Added Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson on his Facebook page: “We love Jay and he had such a huge heart. God bless him and the life he lived.”

Ex-girlfriend Christine Banks said Monday Danielson didn’t discuss politics much but of the weeks-long protests in Portland: “He didn’t think it was right. … He was there for peace.”

Banks said Danielson was a good person who loved nature and animals.

“If you ask anybody, the one thing they’ll remember him by is his goofy, beautiful smile,” she said. “He cared about what you believed in and not the color of your skin.”

A GoFundMe site late Monday said it had raised $33,000 from more than 900 donors for “legal/lawyer fees, and towards fulfilling all other incurred costs in this time of need.”

Danielson, a burly, bearded man, helped run a company in Portland called North West Specialty Moving that focused on transporting heavy items such as marble statues, hot tubs and gun safes. The company’s address, which is the same address listed for Danielson for two parking violations in 2019, is a modest blue bungalow in a residential neighborhood in southwest Portland.

Luke Carrillo, Danielson’s long-time business partner, said they’d been friends for 20 years.

“We have lived and worked together day in and day out,” he told reporters. “We are like brothers, brothers that chose one another.”

Danielson is associated with another company, Oregon Pro Arms LLC, which according to state records is focused primarily on moving gun safes.

Just hours before the shooting on Saturday, Pappas stood in a mall parking lot in suburban Clackamas talking to a reporter from the Portland Tribune.

The man next to him who appeared to be Danielson didn’t say much, except to make a reference to a journalist who had been attacked last year in Portland.

“We’re all about independent journalism,” the man said.

Pappas at one point interjected, referring to the Trump caravan, “I’m here to stop people from assaulting these people.”

Critics have said that instead of keeping the peace, Patriot Prayer has helped incite violence. Last month in nearby Gresham, Pappas showed up to counter a Black Lives Matter event and, according to the Portland Tribune, declared: “I came here ready for war.”

Portland police have yet to make an arrest. On Monday, they asked for witnesses and those who had taken video of the scene to contact them.

A small memorial to Danielson took shape Monday on a sidewalk in front of the parking structure where he collapsed. It included four yellow daises tied to a tree, a small American flag flapping in the wind, and a sympathy card with a Bible verse and handwritten note.

“Jay went to Jesus, where will you go?”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Northwest

A combine at work in wheat fields in the Walla Walla region during 2018. (Washington State Department of Agriculture)
State halts rebates to farmers hit with fuel fees under WA climate law

Instead, a new online directory shows retailers who provide the farm fuel exemption by not imposing surcharges.

Washington transportation officials say a lack of funding means dollars intended for preservation and maintenance are the ones diverted to deal with emergency situations. Before (left) and after (right) photos of the mudslide and cleanup on State Route 20 following an Aug. 11 mudslide. (Washington State Department of Transportation)
‘Early stages of critical failure’: Outlook grim for road upkeep

Billions more dollars are needed for preserving highways and bridges, WSDOT says. The agency’s leader didn’t request more maintenance money for 2026.

Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown, seen here during a January interview, is sparring with members of Congress over the state’s immigration policy (Photo by Ryan Berry/Washington state Standard)
Washington AG pushing new law to protect workers from immigration raids

The proposal would require businesses to tell employees if ICE is coming to inspect company records in search of employees who are not legally able to work in the country.

A helicopter conducts bucket drops over the Bear Gulch Fire. (Olympic National Forest)
WA officials take stock as wildfire season winds down

With fall weather dampening wildland fire conditions in Washington, officials are beginning… Continue reading

WA’s food aid program for infants and mothers now funded through October

When the federal shutdown began Oct. 1, officials said money for the benefits could run out in a couple of weeks.

Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown speaks at a press conference alongside Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and other local officials on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, at Seattle City Hall. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)
‘Stay out of Seattle’: WA leaders tell Trump troops aren’t needed

Local officials fear Seattle could be the next city to see a deployment as the Trump administration prepares to send the National Guard into Portland, Oregon.

A different utility lines branch off in different directions from a utility pole along Railroad Avenue in 2024 in Skykomish. A bill proposed this year looked to add civil penalties for scrapyards that make deals for stolen copper used in telecommunication cables, but it failed to gain traction in the Legislature despite bipartisan support. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Utilities and telecoms turn to WA lawmakers for help as copper wire theft surges

Legislators are looking at tougher penalties and new requirements for scrapyards.

The Washington state Capitol on Nov. 11, 2024. (Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)
New sales tax on services in Washington takes effect Wednesday

A slate of other tax and fee hikes also kicks in Oct. 1, including on major financial institutions and to fund transportation.

Oregon sues to block Trump from sending National Guard to Portland

Oregon and the city of Portland are suing President Donald Trump to… Continue reading

The Rimrock Retreat Fire burned through the Oak Creek drainage in Yakima County in 2024, but the damage was minimal due to tree thinning and prescribed burns the Department of Natural Resources completed in the area with House Bill 1168 funding before the fire. (Emily Fitzgerald/Washington State Standard)
Lands commissioner wants $100M boost for wildfire funding

Washington’s public lands commissioner is asking the Legislature for roughly $100 million… Continue reading

Dr. Mehmet Oz testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, in Washington, March 14. (Anna Rose Layden/The New York Times)
AI reviews rolling out for Medicare in WA for some procedures

The federal government will test a new model for the often maligned prior authorization process in Washington and other states.

The Washington state Capitol on July 25, 2025. (Photo by Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)
‘All bad news’: WA tax receipts expected to slide further

Projected tax revenue is down more than $500 million since the Legislature passed its latest two-year budget. One lead budget writer isn’t ruling out further tax increases next year.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.