Suspect in Portland shooting of far-right demonstrator killed by officers in Lacey, Wash.

The man suspected of killing a right-wing activist in downtown Portland last month, was shot and killed by members of a U.S. Marshals task force near Lacey, Wash. Thursday night.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant for 48-year-old Michael Reinoehl Thursday, and found him later that evening at a Thurston County apartment complex they'd been staking out.

Witness Chad Smith said he saw Reinoehl try to escape in a car before law enforcement agents cornered him and opened fire.

“Overall, there was probably 50 or 60 shots that were fired off," Smith said, "I mean there was a bunch of shots -- probably a good minute, minute and a half of just solid shooting.”

According to a statement from the U.S. Marshals service, Reinoehl produced a firearm before he was shot and killed, but investigators have not said if he fired the weapon. It's still not known why Reinoehl was in Western Washington. According to The Seattle Times, his residential history showed he lived at addresses at Fort Lewis (now known as Joint Base Lewis/McChord) between 1992 and 2002. The paper also said Army officials couldn't find any record of service for him.

Reinoehl -- a Portland native, and father of two -- was suspected of killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson following a pro-Trump caravan rally through downtown Portland on Aug. 29. Danielson was reportedly a member of the right-wing Patriot Prayer group.

In an interview with Vice News shortly before his death, Reinoehl said he shot Danielson in self-defense, because he thought he and a friend were about to be stabbed.

“I had no choice. I mean, I, I had a choice. I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color. But I wasn't going to do that,” Reinoehl said. "Had I not acted, I'm confident that my friend and, I'm sure, I would have been killed because I wasn't going to stand there and let something happen."

"I've noticed they keep saying that it's not clear that it's related to the protests. That's a lie. They know it's related to the protests." Reinoehl said.

Reinoehl told Vice News he provided “security” at Black Lives Matter protests and decided to go to downtown Portland, upon hearing about the pro-Trump caravan of trucks.

“I notified my friends of what I had seen and finished what I was doing with my son, got home and then received a phone call that it might be a good idea to come down there,” he said. “Security may be needed, not knowing what that would entail. I had no idea what I was getting into."

Reinoehl described himself in the Vice News interview as 100% anti-fascist, but not a member of the group ANTIFA. When asked what he did after shooting Danielson, Reinoehl said, "I was confident I didn't hit anyone innocent ... and I made my exit."

The Associated Press reports police cited Reinoehl on July 5 for allegedly possessing a loaded gun in a public place, resisting arrest and interfering with police.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt. Ray Brady said four task force members fired their weapons, including two Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies, an officer from the Lakewood Police Department and an officer from the Washington State Department of Corrections.

Northwest News Network Correspondent Austin Jenkins contributed to this story.