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The 69-year-old gunman killed by Washington state police while attacking a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center had sent a manifesto to his friends the day before the attack in which he had written "I am Antifa". members of the left group as "martyr".
The Seattle Anti-Fascist Action group described assailant Willem Van Spronsen as a "good friend and comrade" who "took a stand against the fascist detention center of Tacoma" and "became a martyr who gave his life to the fight against fascism ".
"He was kind and deeply loved by many communities, we can not let his death go unanswered," the group wrote in a Saturday article on Facebook. "Throughout history, we are idolizing personalities such as John Brown for their bravery to take the ultimate stand against oppression, and we are now committed to supporting another martyr in the fight against fascism, may his death serve as an appeal for protest and direct action. "
The 69-year-old's friends defended him as a result of the attack, accusing police of murdering Van Spronsen. Deanne English told KIRO7 that she had seen Van Spronsen for the last time outside the premises, where a previous protest was taking place on Friday night.
"And he was probably just standing," she said on television about her death. "Because that's what it does."
Another friend, Deb Bartley, however, told the Seattle Times that Van Spronsen was an anarchist and anti-fascist who, she believed, had attacked the detention center with the intent of causing a fatal conflict.
Van Spronsen was armed with a rifle and incendiary devices when he attacked the northwest detention center of Tacoma around 4 am Saturday, according to the Tacoma Police Department. Employees said he was throwing "incendiary devices" and setting vehicles on fire. The first police officers on the scene said that he was carrying a bag and carrying flares.
Van Spronsen was trying to set fire to a propane tank when he was confronted by agents who opened fire. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's office said he had died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Armed man killed after launching incendiary devices at Washington detention center
Several of Van Spronsen's friends said they had received a manifesto from him on Friday, describing the installation as "an abomination" and asking "those who are overwhelmed by the acts of my deeds" to "make the best use of this burden".
A police officer on Saturday monitors a roadblock near the North West Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, after a gunman threw incendiary devices on the place of detention.
(Rebekah Welch / The Seattle Times via AP)
In the manifesto obtained by KIRO7, Van Spronsen indicated that he wished to make a statement to the establishment.
"I regret to miss the rest of the revolution," he wrote. "Doing what I can to help defend my precious and wonderful people is an experience too rich to describe, I am Antifa."
Bartley told The Times that she and other Van Spronsen's friends had received letters "just to say", in addition to the manifesto.
"I regret that I miss the rest of the revolution, doing what I can to help defend my precious and wonderful people is too much to describe, I am Antifa."
"He was ready to stop it," said Bartley. "I think it was a suicide, but then he was able to do it in a way that reflected his political convictions." I know he went there knowingly that he was going to die. "
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Van Spronsen was arrested last year for assaulting a police officer during a demonstration on June 26 outside the same detention center, according to court records.
According to court documents, he flung himself on a policeman and wrapped his arms around the officer's neck and shoulders as he tried to detain a 17-year-old protester, reported The News Tribune. According to court documents, when the police handcuffed Van Spronsen, they discovered that he had a folding stick and a folding knife in his pocket.
Van Spronsen pled guilty to charges of obstructing the police and was released in October.
Protesters returned to the Tacoma facility – where bullet holes due to Van Spronsen's attack were still visible – to protest the ICE immigration roundups that began this week -end.
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The establishment, operated by the GEO group on behalf of ICE, is reserved for illegal immigrants in the expectation of an eviction proceeding. The detention center also kept the parents seeking separate immigration from their children as part of President Trump's "zero tolerance" policy, aimed at discouraging illegal immigration.
The Florida-based company told Q13 News in a statement that it was accusing an "inaccurate factual representation" of its detention centers of inciting "an inappropriate aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees" .
"No form of violence against our employees and our property will be tolerated," the company said.
The Tacoma Police Department stated that four officers had participated in the shooting and that they had all been put on paid administrative leave, in accordance with the department's policy. The authorities have not published any additional information on Van Spronsen.
Sam Dorman of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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