Michael Reinoehl was on the run. He had been named as the suspect in the killing of a right-wing demonstrator in Portland, and had fled to Lacey, Wash., a suburb of
Olympia. On Sept. 3, he is staying here in an apartment authorities say belongs to Nate Dinguss. It’s just after 6:50 p.m., and Reinoehl begins the 100-foot walk to his Volkswagen station wagon. U.S. Marshals, alongside officers from local agencies, are parked in several nearby vehicles, including here, watching his movements. Reinoehl is only carrying a cellphone and a bag in his hands, says Dinguss, who is watching from the parking lot. As Reinoehl reaches his car, two unmarked vehicles speed toward him. The S.U.V.s stop a foot from the Volkswagen’s bumper, boxing it in. Four officers jump out. The officers claim that they shout, “Stop! Police!” But Dinguss and four other eyewitnesses, who are standing here, here and here, say they don’t hear the officers shout any warnings or commands before firing. In the statements they’ve provided to investigators, officers have given differing accounts. One officer claims he sees Reinoehl, inside the car, raise something that looks like a weapon. But two other officers say only that Reinoehl makes, quote, “furtive movements” toward the center console. They open fire, and bullets pierce the driver’s side of the Volkswagen’s windshield, hitting Reinoehl, according to investigators. The bullet casings are visible here, just a few feet away. A 911 dispatch conveys the chaos of the scene. Reinoehl is wounded, but he manages to flee the Volkswagen. Officers continue to fire. Reinoehl steps from behind a truck and into the street. One officer claims that Reinoehl raises a handgun. But other officers say that Reinoehl only reaches toward his pocket. A fifth officer arrives here, in this area, and opens fire along with the others. Reinoehl falls. None of the eyewitnesses on the street has a clear view. According to investigators, four officers fired their weapons around 30 times. Investigators won’t say how many times Reinoehl was shot. But The Times visited the scene, and reviewed dozens of videos and images. We found that at least eight bullets hit civilian property. Some of them flew right by 8-year-old Silas Louis, who’d been riding his bike in the road. Others blew out the windows of a nearby car. At least five bullets hit the wall and the fence of Angel Romero’s home. One went through his dining room, nearly hitting his brother. Officers say they find a .380-caliber handgun in the right front pocket of Reinoehl’s pants, his hand on or near the weapon. Though police never contend that Reinoehl fired a weapon, inside the Volkswagen, they find a bullet casing matching that handgun’s caliber. Investigators say it could be up to three months before crime lab results can prove whether that bullet casing actually matches Reinoehl’s gun. But they also say there is no other evidence that Reinoehl fired at the officers.
