This story has been updated.
While state authorities ruled Oregon State Police troopers’ fatal shooting of Oregon occupier LaVoy Finicum was legally justified, a criminal investigation is underway into a possible cover-up by federal agents.
Eight total shots were fired, with six from Oregon State Police officers and two by FBI agents, Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson said. Nelson said “of the eight shots fired, the six fired by the Oregon state police were justified and in fact necessary.”
But after an investigation into the four bullet holes found in Finicum’s truck after the January shootout near a law enforcement roadblock, authorities traced the fourth shot was fired by an FBI agent who later twice denied firing a shot. Investigators found the agent also fired a second round, which didn’t hit anything at the scene.
Now the investigation has triggered a U.S. Justice Department probe into the agent, who is a member of the elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team, and four other agents on the team.
FBI special agent in charge Greg Bretzing said Finicum “chose to put other people’s lives in danger.”
“The threat Mr. Finicum posed…was real and imminent,” Bretzing said.
Malheur district attorney Dan Norris said out of concern for the safety of the officers involved, their names would not be released. He also said between 70 and 80 “very specific threats” against the troopers’ lives were being investigated.
The Justice Department’s inspector general is investigating and released a statement Tuesday:
DOJ IG issues statement regarding OIG investigation of FBI actions related to Oregon shooting pic.twitter.com/uTayiDL2nM
— Justice OIG (@JusticeOIG) March 8, 2016
Finicum was one of the leaders of the weeks-long standoff between a handful of self-styled militiamen and federal authorities at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Oregon.
6 of 8 justified shots? That leaves too much room for these yahoos to argue this was not justified. Can you please explain this here Ms. Krueger?
This could have all been avoided if LaVoy’s parents had not given him a Cajun first name to go with the pornish last name.
If only he devoted his life to educating others on the mental anguish wrought by eighth grade bullies all because of a kid’s name.
Seriously, the guy was armed and reached for his gun at least twice after leaving his vehicle without tossing his weapon down first. He was running and had threatened to kill or be killed in the recent past, and the police chase confirmed his present intent to kill or be killed. He was a threat that the police neutralized. Pure and simple. The mere fact that everyone threatened fired their weapons about the same time is meaningful of nothing.
So I go to the Oregonian website and their headline is: “FBI AGENTS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR POSSIBLE MISCONDUCT IN FINICUM SHOOTING” You’re missing the boat here TPM.
“self-styled militiamen” - NO NO NO NO!
domestic terrorists, “justifying” their crap with the bible.
no different from any other misguided assjack using a fairy tale to claim possession of truth.
Two shots missed?