Tacoma ICE Detention Center Shooting: Manifesto Reportedly Left

TACOMA, WA — The man shot to death by police officers as he hurled incendiary devices at a holding center for federal immigration agents reportedly wrote a manifesto in which he called detention camps an "abomination" and said it was time to take action against the "forces of evil."

Tacoma police officers on Saturday shot and killed Willem Van Spronsen, 69, of Vashon Island, as he lobbed the devices at the Northwest Detention Center, operated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Police said the man was bent on a path of mass destruction.

The attack came ahead of nationwide ICE raids Sunday targeting as many as 2,000 undocumented immigrants.

In the letter, which contains graphic language, Van Spronsen reportedly self-identified as a revolutionary and said he was radicalized at 13 while learning about the electoral college in civics class.

"We are living in visible fascism ascendant," the letter said, adding that those "paying attention" watched it survive and thrive for decades under the state's protection.

The letter said Van Spronsen used a home-built, unregistered "ghost" AR-15 rifle with six magazines. It also called for fellow and incoming"comrades" to "ignore the law" and arm themselves.

Authorities did not immediately identify a motive for the attack.

The nation is deeply divided over the central role ICE detention centers play in handling undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers. The Trump administration has increasingly relied upon detention centers to house immigrant families and asylum seekers in crowded conditions, drawing fierce opposition from civil and human rights groups.

According to authorities, officers shot and killed the Van Spronsen shortly after 4 a.m. while responding to a report from a detention center employee, who said a man was armed with a rifle, throwing incendiaries at the center and nearby vehicles, and attempting to blow up a propane tank.

"A vehicle was set on fire," according to a release by the Tacoma Police Department. "The male attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set outbuildings on fire. The male continued throwing lot objects at buildings and cars."

According to the Tacoma Police Department, officers arrived on the scene and observed the Van Spronsen wearing a satchel and armed with flares and a rifle.

Four officers with varying experience were involved in the killing. A 45 year-old officer with 20 years with the department, a 27-year-old with four years, a 28-year-old with one year on the job, and a 24-year-old with nine months, according to police. They were all placed on administrative leave per department police, officials said.

There were no other injuries reported in the attack.

The Northwest Detention Center has a troubled history. In 2017, more than 400 detainees at the facility went on a hunger strike to protest conditions at the center. The hunger strikers were asking for improved quality of food and health care, lower commissary prices and an increase in wages — working detainees get $1 per day for performing janitorial and other maintenance duties at the facility, according to NWDCR. The facility is operated under contract by the GEO Group, a private contractor that operates 72 facilities in the U.S.

RELATED:

• Hunger Strike At Northwest Detention Center: Over 400 ICE Detainees Participate
• U.S. To Arrest Thousands Of Undocumented Family Members: Report

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