Cameron Miranda
LaVoy Finicum was an Oregon standoff activist who was shot by police. Finicum's supporters claim that the shooting was a set-up assassination, while police claim that the shooting was justified. Finicum was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and nearly hit a law enforcement agent with his vehicle.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Law broken | Not clear |
| Reason for shooting | Finicum was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and reached his hand towards his pocket |
| Number of shots fired | Six |
| Number of shots unaccounted for | Two |
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What You'll Learn
- LaVoy Finicum was an Oregon standoff activist
- Finicum's supporters have made threats against the officers involved in the shooting
- Finicum's widow believes the shooting was a set-up assassination
- Finicum was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun
- Finicum nearly hit a law enforcement agent with his vehicle
LaVoy Finicum was an Oregon standoff activist
The shooting of LaVoy Finicum has been the subject of much controversy, with some arguing that it was a "set-up assassination". Finicum's widow, Jeanette, has stated that the new footage of the incident shows that the shooting was not justified and that criminal laws were violated. She has said that her husband was walking with his hands in the air, a symbol of surrender, and that the decision to shoot him challenges the Constitution that he died defending.
FBI special agent Greg Bretzing has defended the shooting, stating that "Mr Finicum chose to break the law … and he chose to provoke a confrontation with law enforcement". The Malheur county district attorney, Dan Norris, agreed that the shooting was justified, stating that "all six shots fired by the Oregon state police – the three into the truck and three that shot Mr Finicum – are justified". However, it has been revealed that FBI officers also fired shots during the incident but did not disclose this fact to investigators, prompting an ongoing federal investigation into their actions.
The shooting of LaVoy Finicum has highlighted the tensions between law enforcement and activist groups in the United States. While officials maintain that the shooting was justified due to the perceived threat posed by Finicum, his supporters argue that his death was a result of excessive force and a violation of his constitutional rights. The ongoing investigation into the FBI's actions during the incident will hopefully provide more clarity on the events that led to Finicum's death and help to ensure that similar incidents can be avoided in the future.
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Finicum's supporters have made threats against the officers involved in the shooting
FBI special agent Greg Bretzing said that Finicum "chose to break the law... and he chose to provoke a confrontation with law enforcement". However, Finicum's supporters have disputed the official account of the incident. One supporter commented: "Back shooting murdering bastards, just doing their job... Go watch the gal in the truck's cellphone video. Lavoy drove into the snow bank to avoid wreaking into them. Steps out of the truck with his hands up. That's when you see one bullet go through the cab top... Lavoy keeps moving away from his truck. Fast forward, the police that shot him in the back couldn't have known if he was going for a gun (it was planted)".
Ammon Bundy's lawyer, Mike Arnold, also expressed shock at the revelation that the FBI had fired shots and later failed to admit this to investigators. He added that Finicum was "walking with his hands in the air, a symbol of surrender".
Finicum's supporters have not been named, but officials have said that they will not disclose the names of the state or federal agents involved in the shooting due to the threats made against them.
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Finicum's widow believes the shooting was a set-up assassination
Jeanette Finicum, LaVoy’s widow, believes that the shooting of her husband was a "set-up assassination". She has stated that she "can hardly believe that a team of qualified law officers could look at the facts in this case and say that no criminal laws were violated". She also said that "he was walking with his hands in the air, a symbol of surrender".
However, FBI special agent Greg Bretzing has said that "Mr Finicum chose to break the law … and he chose to provoke a confrontation with law enforcement". Finicum was killed in a shootout with the authorities after he fled the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge with other members, and continued to race through checkpoints after his fellow occupiers chose to surrender themselves. Finicum swerved off the road near a roadblock, nearly hitting a law enforcement officer. He then exited the vehicle with his arms raised and repeatedly told police "you're going to have to shoot me". Investigators said Finicum had a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic handgun in the left inside pocket that he reached for three times before being shot. Three other loaded weapons were found inside the truck that Finicum had been driving.
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Finicum was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun
LaVoy Finicum was an Oregon standoff activist. Finicum was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. According to the FBI, he nearly hit a law enforcement agent with his vehicle as it crashed into heavy snow. He then stepped out of his vehicle and reached his hand towards his pocket. At this point, state troopers fired at Finicum, who fell over and lay motionless in the snow.
Finicum's widow, Jeanette, has disputed the official account of events, saying that the shooting was a "set-up assassination". She claims that her husband was walking with his hands in the air, a symbol of surrender, and that the new footage shows that the shooting was not justified. She has also questioned how the officers involved could have concluded that no criminal laws were violated.
Finicum's lawyer, Mike Arnold, has also expressed shock at the revelation that the FBI fired shots while Finicum was leaving the vehicle and that they later failed to admit this to investigators.
The Malheur County district attorney, Dan Norris, has concluded that all six shots fired by the Oregon state police – three into the truck and three that shot Mr Finicum – were justified. However, local officials have revealed that FBI officers had also fired shots but did not disclose this fact to investigators, prompting an ongoing federal investigation into the FBI's actions.
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Finicum nearly hit a law enforcement agent with his vehicle
LaVoy Finicum was an Oregon standoff activist. FBI officials and Oregon state troopers attempted to stop the protesters, who were in two separate vehicles, prompting a brief chase and shooting. Finicum, who was driving a truck, sped away and nearly hit a law enforcement agent with the vehicle as it crashed into heavy snow. The FBI said that Finicum was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and that after he stepped out of his vehicle, he reached his hand toward his pocket. At that point, in a shooting captured in the agency’s blurry footage from its aircraft, state troopers fired at Finicum, who fell over and lay motionless in the snow.
Finicum's widow, Jeanette Finicum, said the new footage shows that the shooting was a “set-up assassination”. She added, “I can hardly believe that a team of qualified law officers could look at the facts in this case and say that no criminal laws were violated. How could they have reached this decision in the face of evidence that clearly shows intent to kill my husband? He was walking with his hands in the air, a symbol of surrender”.
FBI special agent Greg Bretzing said at a Tuesday morning news conference in Bend, Oregon: “Mr Finicum chose to break the law … and he chose to provoke a confrontation with law enforcement”. The Malheur county district attorney, Dan Norris, added: “I have concluded that all six shots fired by the Oregon state police – the three into the truck and three that shot Mr Finicum – are justified”.
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Frequently asked questions
FBI special agent Greg Bretzing said that Finicum "chose to break the law" and "chose to provoke a confrontation with law enforcement". Finicum's supporters have disagreed with this statement.
The Malheur county district attorney, Dan Norris, said that the shooting was justified, as Finicum was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and reached his hand towards his pocket after stepping out of his vehicle.
Finicum's widow, Jeanette, said that the shooting was a "set-up assassination" and that "no criminal laws were violated". She also said that Finicum was "walking with his hands in the air, a symbol of surrender".
FBI officers did fire shots during the incident, but they did not disclose this fact to investigators after the incident. This prompted an ongoing federal investigation into the FBI's actions.
