One Killed, Eight Arrested During Bid to End Militant Occupation in Oregon

One member of the militant group that has been carrying out an armed occupation of the Malheur wildlife refuge in Oregon was shot and killed late Tuesday as other members, including leader Amon Bundy, were arrested on federal charges following a confrontation with law enforcement.

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In addition to Ammon Bundy, said officials, those arrested were: his brother Ryan Bundy, 43; Brian Cavalier, 44; Shawna Cox, 59; and Ryan Payne, 32 – all of whom were apprehended during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 395 Tuesday afternoon. Authorities said two others — Joseph Donald O’Shaughnessy, 45, and Peter Santilli, 50 — were arrested separately in Burns, while FBI agents in Arizona arrested another, Jon Eric Ritzheimer, 32.

Authorities said that each of the men now face a federal felony charge of conspiracy to impede federal officers from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation or threats.  Authorities released few other details, but scheduled a news conference with the FBI and local sheriff and police departments for late Wednesday morning.

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The man killed during the confrontation has been identified as Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, who often acted as spokesperson for the militant group.

Difficult to miss in his wide-brimmed hat, Finicum stood out among the occupiers not only because appeared to take a leadership role, but because of his repeated pledge to never submit to police or federal agents.

Though members of the group arrested reportedly claimed that Finicum was cooperating when he shot, law enforcement officials claimed that he, as well as Ryan Bundy, refused to obey repeated orders.

Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity and among those who have staged a running counter-protest to the occupation in Oregon, wrote on Twitter overnight, “Finicum was always armed, spoke/wrote often of dying in gunfight. Wrote novel with this ending.”