Thread: Investigation into death of LaVoy Finicum expected to take 4 to 6 weeks

Investigation into death of Oregon standoff spokesman LaVoy Finicum expected to take 4 to 6 weeks

By The Oregonian/OregonLive
on February 02, 2016 at 1:58 PM, updated February 02, 2016 at 2:58 PM

SHOWDOWN IN BURNS

• Court documents filed stemming from Oregon refuge occupation
• Billy Graham's son speaks to Oregon standoff holdouts
• LaVoy Finicum's family calls death 'unjustified,' says FBI covering up real story
• Federal judge affirms release of Joseph O'Shaughnessy; delays decision on Pete Santilli
• Oregon standoff timeline: How the occupation unfolded

All Stories


Investigators said Tuesday they will release no information on the shooting death of Oregon standoff spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum until their work is complete – probably not for another four to six weeks.

The FBI have confirmed that Oregon State Police troopers shot Finicum a week ago at a roadblock along U.S. 395 about 20 miles north of Burns while he and other key figures in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge were traveling to another county for a community meeting.

Finicum reached at least twice toward a jacket pocket that later was found to contain a 9mm handgun, the FBI said in a statement last week. The agency released aerial video of the shooting, but the grainy long-distance images and lack of audio have fueled debate about what it shows.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation into the shooting with help from Bend and Redmond police and state police stationed in Deschutes County.

FBI Special Agent In Charge Greg Bretzing Takes Questions After Showing LaVoy Finicum VideoFBI Special Agent In Charge Greg Bretzing Takes Questions After Showing LaVoy Finicum Video


"This is an on-going investigation and in order to maintain its integrity, no further information will be released until a thorough investigation and review is completed by Malheur County District Attorney, Dan Norris," Deschutes County Sheriff L. Shane Nelson said in a statement.

Norris said in a news release: "All pertinent reports will be released to the public when the investigation is complete."

That could take "at least four to six weeks," the officials indicated.

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-sta..._story_package

Posted: Feb 02, 2016 1:57 PM PST
Updated: Feb 02, 2016 2:02 PM PST

Oregon standoff leader Ammon Bundy withdraws request for release

By Michael Martinez CNN

(CNN) -- Ammon Bundy, the rancher who led an armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, abruptly reversed course Tuesday and withdrew a request to be released from custody as he awaits trial on a felony conspiracy charge, court papers showed.

Bundy had initially been scheduled Tuesday to ask a federal judge in Oregon to release him on electronic GPS surveillance, his attorney Mike Arnold said.

But now Bundy will resubmit that request at a later time, his attorneys said in court papers. He will stay incarcerated "to gather further evidence of his statements and actions encouraging a peaceful protest and civil disobedience," court documents said.

Bundy eventually plans to challenge U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman's order to keep him in custody pending the trial, according to court documents.

Bundy's attorneys have indicated they ultimately plan to argue in U.S. District Court that their client should be permitted to stay at his home in Idaho and only return to Oregon for court appearances. The federal court system's pretrial services earlier recommended Bundy's conditional release, according to court papers filed by Bundy's attorneys.

But federal prosecutors have argued that "Mr. Bundy was a risk to the safety of any other person or the community and that there was a serious risk that the defendant will flee," court papers said.

The weeks-long armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters near Burns, Oregon, took a violent turn last week when authorities arrested Bundy and shot and killed another key figure, LaVoy Finicum, on a desolate stretch of rural highway. Bundy's brother, Ryan, also was wounded.

The occupiers said Finicum had his hands in the air when he was shot. A law enforcement official told CNN that officers opened fire when Finicum reached toward his waistband, where he had a gun.

Eleven people, including Ammon Bundy, were arrested last week -- 10 in Oregon and one in Arizona.

All the defendants face a federal felony count of conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation or threats.

As of Tuesday morning, four members of the protest group remained inside the refuge.

CNN's Brad Parks, Jason Hanna and Amanda Watts contributed to this report.

http://www.krtv.com/story/31120995/o...st-for-release