A white supremacist in Washington state was killed by deputies on Wednesday after he shot a black man to death.

According to KIRO radio, Pierce County deputies responded early Wednesday morning to reports of shots being fired, and found a black man with a gunshot wound.

KING 5 reported that the deputies were provided a description of the suspect, who was known to have ties to white supremacist groups. Witnesses also described him as having white supremacy tattoos.

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Deputies confronted someone with the man’s description at an apartment complex about 90 minutes later.

“We think he was trying to find somewhere to hide,” sheriff’s spokesperson Ed Troyer explained on Wednesday.

“When our deputies arrived they didn’t have time to talk with (the suspect) – he pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired a round. Our deputies fired rounds back, and our suspect is deceased,” Troyer added.

The name of the 21-year-old suspect was not immediately available, but officials said that he was a known white supremacist, drug dealer and felon. Troyer said that the initial shooting was most likely over a drug deal.

The victim was identified as 23-year-old Marlon Williams.