FBI video shows Oregon militia spokesman getting shot by cops
- 8 years ago
PORTLAND, OREGON — Aerial video showing the fatal police shooting of an armed Oregon wildlife refuge occupier during a traffic stop was released by the FBI on Thursday.
The climax of the blurry footage, captured on Tuesday, appears to show 54-year-old Robert "Lavoy" Finicum, a spokesman for the militia occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, reaching into his jacket at least twice before officers open fire and kill him.
Inside the part of the jacket he was reaching for was a loaded gun, said Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge of the FBI, in a press release published on the FBI's website.
According to the Associated Press, federal authorities released the video to counter claims that Finicum did nothing to provoke officers prior to being gunned down.
Prior to the shooting, the video shows Finicum drive off at speed in a white truck from Oregon state police and FBI agents. Bretzing said the Arizona rancher nearly struck a federal agent before his vehicle became stuck in a snowbank.
The footage, captured from a FBI aircraft, shows a man identified as Finicum exit the truck with his hands raised. Bretzing said Finicum can be seen reaching for his jacket pocket on two occasions before officers shoot at him. That pocket contained a loaded semi-automatic 9 mm handgun, the FBI said.
During the incident, authorities arrested five prominent figures from the wildlife refuge occupation including brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, the sons of Nevada rancher Clive Bundy.
The Bundys were previously involved in a tense standoff in 2014 with federal authorities over grazing rights.
The wildlife refuge occupation began on Jan. 2, 2016 when leader Ammon Bundy and several of his followers took over a small group of government buildings near the rural community of Burns, Oregon.
Bretzing said four occupiers remained at the refuge Thursday night as authorities tried to negotiate their exit.
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The climax of the blurry footage, captured on Tuesday, appears to show 54-year-old Robert "Lavoy" Finicum, a spokesman for the militia occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, reaching into his jacket at least twice before officers open fire and kill him.
Inside the part of the jacket he was reaching for was a loaded gun, said Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge of the FBI, in a press release published on the FBI's website.
According to the Associated Press, federal authorities released the video to counter claims that Finicum did nothing to provoke officers prior to being gunned down.
Prior to the shooting, the video shows Finicum drive off at speed in a white truck from Oregon state police and FBI agents. Bretzing said the Arizona rancher nearly struck a federal agent before his vehicle became stuck in a snowbank.
The footage, captured from a FBI aircraft, shows a man identified as Finicum exit the truck with his hands raised. Bretzing said Finicum can be seen reaching for his jacket pocket on two occasions before officers shoot at him. That pocket contained a loaded semi-automatic 9 mm handgun, the FBI said.
During the incident, authorities arrested five prominent figures from the wildlife refuge occupation including brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, the sons of Nevada rancher Clive Bundy.
The Bundys were previously involved in a tense standoff in 2014 with federal authorities over grazing rights.
The wildlife refuge occupation began on Jan. 2, 2016 when leader Ammon Bundy and several of his followers took over a small group of government buildings near the rural community of Burns, Oregon.
Bretzing said four occupiers remained at the refuge Thursday night as authorities tried to negotiate their exit.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
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Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus