One person shot dead as Trump supporters and BLM protesters clash in Portland

One person was shot dead as a large caravan of President Donald Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed in the streets late on Saturday in the US city of Portland, which has seen frequent demonstrations for months that have at times turned violent.

Police said the violence took place in Portland's downtown area and that they had made arrests.

It wasn't clear if the shooting was linked to fights that broke out as a caravan of about 600 vehicles was confronted by protesters in the area.

"A political rally is caravanning throughout downtown Portland. There have been some instances of violence between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators," Portland police said on Twitter.

"Officers have intervened and in some cases made arrests."

A local NBC affiliate quoted police saying one person had died in a shooting. No details about the identity of the deceased were provided.

"I can confirm a shooting, one person deceased, in the area of SW 3rd and Alder, and that we are in the early stages of a homicide investigation," a police representative was quoted as saying by KGW News.

Demonstrations against racism and police brutality have swept the United States since the death in May of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Tensions between rival protest groups have roiled downtown Portland every night for nearly three months following Floyd's death.

President Donald Trump's administration in July deployed federal forces to Portland to crack down on the protests.