Possible explosives. A bomb squad as on the scene and nearby businesses were evacuated. Tonights event was hosted by the new york based American Freedom Defense Initiative. Thats the same group behind the controversial ads septa is being forced to run on its buses. A number of local political and Business Leaders denounced those ads which show hitler with a former arab hitler. Now the president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative released the following email to nbc news earlier tonight. It reads, cop shot outside our free speech event. We are in lockdown. Perps are rifles and may have had explosives. This shows how much our even was needed. Free speech is under violent assault. Yours in liberty, pamela geller. Stay with nbc news for updates on this developing story. New at 11 00, a south jersey road is still shut down after a pedestrian was struck by a car. This is a leak at the scene from one of our Traffic Cameras on route 73 at rogers walk. Police closed the north bound lanes
15 minutes after that trump caravan had left the downtown area. Victim has not yet been publicly identified and the shooter as far as we know remains at large. The mayor of portland, ted wheeler, who serves that citys Police Commissioner is set to speak at the top of the 4 00 p. M. Eastern or of 1 00 p. M. Pacific time hour, just under 60 minutes from now. We will bring that to you live as it happens. First, lets go to Christina Coleman live in los angeles with more details on the tragic and shocking turn on the streets of portland last night. Reporter this is the third consecutive weekend of tension escalating between competing groups of protesters in portland. A caravan of Trump Supporters with 600 vehicles was making its way through Downtown Portland when protesters attempted to stop them by standing in the street. Some protesters fired paint ball pellets and bear spray at counter protesters and they threw things at the Trump Supporters. Supporters. Police havent released details on
Saturday night live. Lets go outfront. Good evening, everyone, thanks for joining us im don lemon in for erin burnett. A major vote in washington postponed tonight blamed on the weather but did either side have the vote . Its a bill that affects 1. 3 million americans and whether they get their unemployment checks. A vote to proceed would have been a huge victory for the democrats. They needed 60 votes. That means the democrats needed the support of five republicans. And tonight they didnt have the bodies on capitol hill. Straight now to joe johns who is on capitol hill for us. There was uncertainty about the vote and now the reason we are hearing is the weather. Would the democrats have had the votes . We dont know. I got to tell you, if all 100 senators were here at the United States capitol tonight, everybody working, it still still would have been a cliffhanger by almost anyones assessment. The democrats need five republicans to go with them. We have counted four republicans who ha