President Donald Trump made comments on Thursday that appeared to suggest that members of the U.S. Marshals Service executed an antifa supporter who was charged in the death of a right-wing protester in Portland, Oregon.

Michael Forest Reinoehl was shot and killed by members of a fugitive task force led by the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington state last month. Reinoehls killing is under investigation, and The New York Times recently reported on serious questions about whether law enforcement actually attempted to arrest Reinoehl before they killed him. A gun was found in Reinoehls pocket. I respect cops to the utmost, but things were definitely in no way, shape or form done properly, one witness said.

Trump bragged about Reinoehls killing at a rally in North Carolina on Thursday, getting cheers for a description that sounded like a summary execution by the state.

We sent in the U.S. marshals, took 15 minutes and it was over, Trump said. They knew who he was, they didnt want to arrest him, and 15 minutes, that ended.

Who they referred to was up for some debate. Some people thought Trump was referencing the U.S. Marshals Service, which would suggest he was saying that members of law enforcement wanted to kill Reinoehl and had no plans to arrest him. Others said it appeared that Trump was referencing the Portland Police Department, a comment that disparages members of law enforcement as cowardly. (The U.S. Marshals Service commonly helps track down criminals who flee to other states, where out-of-state law enforcement officials lack the jurisdiction they have in their own states.)

Trump previously described Reinoehls killing as retribution and falsely claimed that the marshals ended up in a gunfight with Reinoehl when theres no evidence he ever fired his weapon.

This guy was a violent criminal, and the U.S. marshals killed him. And I will tell you something, thats the way it has to be. There has to be retribution when you have crime like this, Trump said in September.