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FBI Releases Aerial Video of Oregon Militant LaVoy Finicum’s Shooting Death.
In the days following his death, LaVoy Finicum had become a martyr for anti-government extremists.
Greg Bretzing, the special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon, said the video was released to settle questions surrounding Finicum’s death.
“We know there are various versions of what has happened out in the public domain. Most of them inaccurate. Some of them inflammatory.”
The following is the FBI’s recounting of what appears in the video that they showed at the press conference. Video released by the FBI is embedded below. The pursuit of Finicum begins around the eight-minute mark.
In the beginning, two vehicles–a Jeep and a white truck–move along the Eastern Oregon road. Finicum is driving the truck. The Jeep is pulled over and the driver (who the FBI did not charge and whose name was not released) gets out along with Ammon Bundy and Brian Cavalier who were arrested without incident, according to the FBI.
At some point roughly 4 minutes later, in a moment that is obscured in the video by foliage, Ryan Payne gets out of the truck through the backdoor. He puts his hand up, is approached by officers and is taken into custody. Then, the truck continues to sit on the road for more than three minutes as the FBI says law enforcement agents give “verbal commands” to the individuals left in the truck.
At that point, Finicum takes off “at a high rate of speed.” The truck traveled some distance before it encounters a law enforcement roadblock. As Finicum approaches those barriers, there is a “spike strip across the road,” but the FBI explains that he seemed to have circumvented it as he drove around the roadblock.
“He nearly hits an FBI agent as he maneuvers to the left,” the FBI explained just before they showed the video.
Then, Finicum’s truck gets caught in a snow bank. He gets out of the vehicle. He moves through the snow.
On two occasions, the FBI says that Finicum reaches his right hand toward “a pocket on the left inside pocket of his jacket” where police eventually found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
Then, Finicum is shot by Oregon State Police. The FBI did not say how many times, but did comment it was in the single digits.
After Oregon State Police shot Finicum, the FBI says that the area was secured with “flash bangs” and later, “sponge projectiles” in an effort to “disorient” any other individuals who were armed. Shawna Cox, Ryan Bundy and another unnamed individual were taken from the car. Cox and Bundy were arrested.
“We feel it is necessary to show the whole thing unedited in the interest of transparency,” Gretzing says.
A routine shooting investigation is still ongoing.
The FBI has narrowed the containment zones around the refuge in an effort to make life easier for residents in the county.
The FBI believes there are still four individuals holed up at the Wildlife Refuge. And negotiators are “working around the clock” to find a way to end the nearly 4-week occupation.
In the hours following Finicum’s death, law enforcement agents set up checkpoints surrounding the refuge. The FBI said Thursday that since those barriers were set up, nine individuals left the refuge. Six were released and three were arrested by the FBI.
Agencies/Canadajournal
