7 Years After Police Shot LaVoy Finicum in Back, Arizona Family Asks Supreme Court to Hear Case

It was senior recognition night at Jeanette Finicum’s daughter’s high school basketball game on Jan. 26, 2016, when Jeanette started hearing that something had happened to her husband, Robert “LaVoy” Finicum.

A Mohave County, Arizona, cattle rancher, father of 12, and foster parent, LaVoy Finicum was among a group of people who participated in a 41-day occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, 700 miles from his home. It started on Jan. 2, 2016. They were protesting federal land use policies—something LaVoy Finicum had been speaking about a lot on his YouTube channel, “One Cowboy’s Stand for Freedom.”

Jeanette had just visited him at Malheur and everything was fine. She was sure it still was until she went to the hallway to charge her phone and he didn’t answer when she called.

“I knew something was wrong because he promised that he would always pick up,” Jeanette Finicum told The Epoch Times.

Soon she received a call from Lisa Bundy, whose family lives on a ranch neighboring the Finicum’s ranch and whose husband, Ammon Bundy, had been following LaVoy’s vehicle from Malheur to a speaking engagement.

They were invited by Grant County Sherriff Glenn E. Palmer to give a public presentation on land rights and the Malheur occupation. Palmer was friendly to the group. It should have been a simple trip to give a speech.

“She is hysterical and screaming in the phone to me. ‘They shot and killed LaVoy! They shot and killed LaVoy!’ I dropped the phone and got hysterical.”

“People were real quiet around us. They didn’t know what to say,” she recalled. “This is a small town here. [LaVoy’s] dad and mom were there at the basketball game. My other children were there. They paused the basketball game, had our family come down, and we were all informed—my children, his parents. The local police officer invited us to come across the street to the sheriff’s department to make phone calls to see if we could get any confirmation of any kind.”

“They refused to give us any information,” Jeanette said. “They were really rude, unkind, and would not offer even the police officers any information in reference to who was killed and who was wounded.”

The family went home without answers. It was three days before the sheriff’s department went to the Finicum house and officially informed them that LaVoy had been shot in the back and killed by law enforcement—state police or the FBI—during a roadblock stop on a snowy, desolate section of Oregon Highway 395.

This photo taken from an FBI video shows Robert “LaVoy” Finicum after he was fatally shot by police on Jan. 26, 2016, near Burns, Ore. On March 8, 2016, authorities said police were justified in killing Finicum. (FBI via AP)

Unmarked SUVs operated by an Oregon State Police SWAT team and an FBI Hostage Rescue Team prepared roadblocks for the two vehicles, while an FBI aircraft hovered overhead shooting video. Occupants in Finicum’s pickup also recorded video from inside the vehicle.

“[The government] wanted a swift resolution to the problem at Malheur. People were starting to listen to them. Their gatherings were becoming 200, 300, 400 people,” Jeanette Finicum said.

LaVoy became a natural spokesman for the group because he was able to communicate in a clear style that resonated with people.

“They would have been talking about the Constitution, property rights, liberty and to stand up, because they were in an area where there were a lot of ranchers, and they were all similarly being affected by the overreach of the government that was happening there.”

Finicum was not at Malheur when he encountered law enforcement. The roadblock was an hour away.

Driving in the first vehicle, Finicum stopped at the first roadblock where state police pointed guns with red lasers at him. He stayed in his truck.

“I’m going over to meet the sheriff in Grant County. Come along with us, and we can talk about this over there,” Finicum told law enforcement in a video recorded by passenger Ryan Bundy. “You can go ahead and shoot me. Put the laser right there. Put the bullet through the head. OK boys? It’s going to get real. You want my blood on your hands? Get it done. Because we’ve got people to see and places to go.”

There was no arrest warrant and no probable cause to arrest, according to attorney Roger Root, who is handling a wrongful death case for the Finicum family.

“They just claimed they were doing a felony stop. Under the Fourth Amendment, which is the right of the people to be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures, including seizures of a person, there’s no such thing in the law as a felony stop,” Root told The Epoch Times. “They need probable cause to believe a particular crime is committed by a particular person.”

Finicum and his passengers considered calling someone for help, but 20 miles from town, there was no cellphone signal. Finicum figured the sheriff they were meeting was about 50 miles away.

He sped away from the first roadblock. But around a curve, another roadblock was waiting, with law enforcement standing in front of vehicles. He tried to drive around it and got stuck in the deep snow on the side of the road.

Shortly after, he got out of the vehicle and walked through deep snow with his hands up.

The next part of the video is a matter of controversy. His hands went down and instantly, he was shot in the back and fell to the ground.

It is unclear why Finicum’s hands went down. He may have been trying to balance his steps in the deep snow or motion to police. Law enforcement say he was going for a gun they found in his pocket. But he always kept his gun in his holster unless he was driving. Then it was kept under a blanket on the dashboard, Jeanette Finicum said. She believes the gun could have been planted on him after the shooting.

The Epoch Times requested comment from the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Department of Justice, Oregon State Police, Deschutes County Major Incident Team, and the Harney County District Attorney’s Office.

“It is always a tragedy when a life is lost, regardless of the circumstances,” a spokesman for the Oregon State Police told The Epoch Times in an email. “We also acknowledge the significant number of resources provided by the agencies who conducted the investigation and review of this incident.”

A makeshift roadside memorial for rancher LaVoy Finicum stands on a highway north of Burns, Ore., on Jan. 31, 2016. Finicum was killed in a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police on a remote road. (Nick K. Geranios/AP Photo)

In 2018, the Finicum family brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the Oregon State Police, the FBI, and the Bureau of Land Management. The family says Finicum was ambushed and killed because he had been speaking against the government.

“The case languished in the trial court for over three years because there were so many savage motions to dismiss by all these agencies,” said Root, who took the case from previous attorneys. “Basically, the lawyers for the Finicums were forced to just constantly respond to these motions to dismiss to try to keep the case alive. And it was a brutal, brutal defense by the state of Oregon, the FBI, and the U.S. Justice Department—some of the top lawyers for these government agencies. It never got to depositions. There never was much discovery.”

Ultimately. the judge dismissed the case, essentially saying the plaintiffs were not working hard enough to move the case forward.

“Failure to prosecute,” Root said. “All these questions about shooting a guy in the back, or having his hands in the air, have never been resolved.”

The family will now ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case and expects, in the next 60 days, to file a request to be heard.

It is important, Jeanette Finicum said, for the facts of her husband’s death to be understood.

“If they can make this go away to where the American people don’t ever hear the truth about this story, then they have won the media, they’ve won the narrative, they’ve won on so many other levels,” Finicum said. “It’s not about money for our family. It’s about the truth coming out and having LaVoy’s good name protected. That’s what’s so hard, because we’re up against this giant media propaganda machine, not to mention the government, the FBI, and the deep state within it.”

Media reports have labeled Finicum a racist, militia member, extremist, and terrorist. None of that was true, Jeanette Finicum said.

“He was just an average father, a rancher who was concerned for his country and the direction that he saw it moving,” she said. “He valued and honored the Constitution. He studied it, he understood it. He felt it was a divine document—that the men who wrote it were inspired to write it. … He was very religious. He looked to a higher power for his guidance, and for his strength and for his courage. He had integrity. He was soft, and kind. He was giving unconditionally. He would give the shirt off his back to the less fortunate, and I’ve seen him do those things. He was a good American, someone you would want to be involved with and participate with.”

LaVoy Finicum in Oregon with copy of the Constitution in his pocket in 2016. (Courtesy of Jeanette Finicum)

The ranch of LaVoy Finicum’s neighbor, Cliven Bundy, was the scene of a 2014 dispute with the Bureau of Land Management over cattle grazing rights. Finicum and other ranchers showed support for Bundy. When the situation was resolved, Finicum started a YouTube channel talking about constitutional rights and land rights.

“It’s easy to see that our government has eviscerated the Constitution. They are a lawless government, unwilling to be governed by the supreme law of the land, by the laws that ‘We the People’ placed upon them. And so what do we do?” Finicum said in a 2014 video. “This thing isn’t going to be solved legislatively. It’s too far gone. And there’s too few politicians with real conviction, with real courage. The establishment is too firmly entrenched.”

He wondered how citizens should respond and, through study, Finicum determined that God intended man to be free.

“When a man stands for freedom, he stands with God. And as long as he stands for freedom, he stands with God; even if he stands alone, he still stands with God,” Finicum said in 2014. “I think there’s about 50 million Americans out there that love freedom as much as I do. They’re willing to put their lives on the line—their fortunes, their sacred honor—as our Founding Fathers did in the beginning. Because the conflict is building, the storm clouds are gathering over this very same issue: will man be free or must he be coerced?”

He said people should still fight for freedom using the legislative and judicial avenues.

“But we know when our natural rights are being violated, when we are being trampled upon, it’s time for us to say, ‘No more,’” Finicum said.

“If your property rights are being violated, I’ll come stand with you,” Finicum said. “I know there’s 50 million of us, willing to stand together and say, ‘No. Leave his property alone.’ No aggression. No hate—willing to stand and willing to defend by all means necessary, to say leave us alone. Don’t bother us. Let us raise our family. Let us enjoy this land upon which we live. Let us be free to make our own choices. It’s a great land. I’m going to live as a free man. I invite you, too, to stand up and defend the Constitution, and the rights that are guarded by this document. Stand for freedom. Stand for the Constitution.”

A series of documentaries was produced by the Center for Self Governance about the entire situation, before and after Finicum was killed. The newest in the series, “The Final Verdict,” will be released Jan. 6. Proceeds for viewing videos in the series go to the Finicum legal fund.

“You know, you don’t even understand until it becomes personal. But it has become very personal for a lot of people throughout this country in 2022, has it not?” Jeanette Finicum said.

She was troubled when she heard about the FBI investigating parents speaking at school board meetings, innocent individuals, she says, who are peacefully standing up for the rights of their children.

She was also troubled when Antifa and Black Lives Matter emerged, protesting violently in the streets.

“These people that had contention, they wanted to talk to their government, and they were going about it very violently,” Jeanette Finicum said. “And in contrast to the people that were in Malheur, they weren’t violent, they were peaceful. They were trying to have their voices heard in a peaceful way. And the treatment of them, versus what happened to my husband, which resulted in his death, it angered me and I was frustrated with the government. Why is there a double standard for the subject matter? Everyone in this country is entitled to their due process. Why is it that it is okay for a whole community to completely destroy itself and be hailed heroes for doing it?”

Until it happens to you, you don’t understand the depth of the corruption and how isolated you feel as an American citizen in this free country, she said.

“It’s going to take a lot of us to continue to stand up; that’s what my husband would say. He said it doesn’t matter how it ends, it matters how you stand. And so we have to keep standing and keep fighting in respectful, responsible ways, like my husband was trying to do,” Jeanette Finicum said. “He was not anti-government. He was not a militia member. He was pro responsible, limited government. He was standing for the Constitution and for our right to have that First Amendment right to speak, and the Second Amendment right to carry while speaking and doing it responsibly.”

“We’ve watched other protests where that very same thing happened and no roadblock was set up. Nobody was shot three times in the back after being fired upon six separate times before being murdered. You watch those cases throughout the country where maybe there’s been police brutality, and they have every right to stand up for that brutality and to demand justice,” she said. “But their cases are handled swiftly and with resolve. We’ve had to fight, travel the country, and try to get anybody to listen to us, and to raise the funds to continue to move forward. It’s been a very long, hard journey.”

Beth Brelje is a national, investigative journalist covering politics, wrongdoing, and the stories of everyday people facing extraordinary circumstances. Send her your story ideas: Beth.brelje@epochtimes.us

I will have to search. But, there was a big attempt to remove Oregon ranchers from their land with mineral rights. Harry Reid’s son worked for law firm to facilitate.

I can’t remember all the info on the Uranium, Putin, Hillary, Clinton deal. Also, weather causing inability to stay connected to internet. An Oregon Freeper PING list used to exist. Maybe someone else can help fill-in details.

****
SOME ARTICLES PERTINENT TO ISSUES

‘BUSINESS’ ties between “Putin + Hillary + Obama + Biden” to Uranium One

1- Who was right in the middle of it all? HILLARY CLINTON. MILLIONS of dollars flowed to the Clinton Foundation as our Uranium rights were sold to Russia while she was Secretary of State.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-02/uranium-one-fbi-refuses-release-three-dozen-secret-memos-involving-clintons-russia?fbclid=IwAR39TvViZk3EZ-HkSCqY0iS1Ou_17I75HP6Ud5pI3PpubN9wubq1mTXenxg

2- http://uslibertynews.com/breaking-uranium-one-informant-rolls-clintons/

Breaking: Uranium One Informant Rolls on Clintons
February 9, 2018

Breaking Uranium One Informant Rolls on Clintons

An undercover FBI informant who was involved in the Russian acquisition of Uranium One finally broke his silence, and spoke with congressional investigators Wednesday.

According to The Hill, American businessman William Douglas Campbell provided a written statement and answered several hours worth of questions from representatives of three separate committees — Senate Judiciary, House Intelligence and House Oversight and Government Reform — about what he had learned and shared with his handlers at the FBI.

This included how Russia routed millions of dollars into America with the purpose of gaining influence with the Clintons, while then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had taken the lead in the Russian “reset” foreign policy.

Campbell testified that the money flowed through an American lobbying firm known as APCO Worldwide that had been hired for an annual fee of $3 million, with the intent of purchasing favor with the Clintons toward Russia by contributing financially to former President Bill Clinton’s charitable work, according to the Washington Examiner.

“The contract called for four payments of $750,000 over twelve months,” Campbell explained in his written statement. “APCO was expected to give assistance free of charge to the Clinton Global Initiative as part of their effort to create a favorable environment to ensure the Obama administration made affirmative decisions on everything from Uranium One to the U.S.-Russia Civilian Nuclear Cooperation agreement.”

When reached for comment, APCO didn’t dispute that they worked with both Russian interests and the Clinton Foundation, but insisted that the work was separate and not connected in any way.

A spokesman for Clinton, Nick Merrill, as well as elected Democrats, called Campbell’s testimony a distraction and tried to cast doubt on its credibility.

However, Republicans argued Campbell’s credibility is not in question as he worked for years as an informant with both the FBI and CIA, and had even been rewarded with a $50,000 check and commendation from the bureau in 2016 for his efforts in uncovering a broad bribery and racketeering scheme by the Russians.

Campbell began informing the FBI of the Russian plot to gain a foothold in the U.S. uranium market in 2009, which ultimately resulted in their gaining approval in 2010 from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. for the sale of Canadian-owned Uranium One — which held mining interests in America — to Russian mining company Rosatom.

The informant also turned over documents in his possession which detailed how both Russian and American executives involved in the scheme had engaged in bribery to obtain that coveted approval.

Furthermore, he also unveiled how Russia was potentially in violation of international sanctions by its provision of aid and assistance to Iran in regard to the construction and fabrication of the country’s nuclear reactor facilities.

Campbell also revealed that he had done much of his work while dealing with a bout of brain cancer and leukemia, as well as alcoholism. He also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money as part of FBI-directed bribes to maintain his cover — and was never reimbursed.

Reporter Sara Carter, who has been covering the Uranium One story for some time, described Campbell’s testimony as “explosive,” particularly as it related to Russian aid to Iran and their efforts at influencing the Clintons.

“Mr. Campbell testified for over four hours until he answered every question from three Congressional committees; the Senate Judiciary, House Oversight and House Intelligence committees,” stated the informant’s attorney, Victoria Toensing. “He recounted numerous times that the Russians bragged that the Clintons’ influence in the Obama administration would ensure CIFIUS approval for Uranium One. And he was right.”

Douglas Campbell just laid out for Congress what many of us already suspected — namely that the Russians purchased influence with the Clintons in order to facilitate their purchase of a mining company that would grant them control of a significant portion of U.S.-produced uranium.

See what undercover FBI informant Douglas Campbell said to Congress about what he knew of the Uranium One deal.

3- The Clinton Foundation Megascam – Uranium One Deal
Asheville Tribune ^ | October 25, 2017 | kmorgan
https://usmedia.buzz/2017/10/25/the-clinton-foundation-megascam/

(The Biggest Money-Laundering Organization in the World)

(Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal)

(Obama and Biden speak often, but what they discuss ‘is no one’s business’)

[snip]According to Saudi Arabian royalty sources, 20 percent of Clinton’s Presidential campaign cash comes from Saudi Arabia. This is, of course, illegal, but it is not illegal for foreign countries to contribute to charitable foundations. It is almost invisible, if the foreign money goes through a foreign Foundation, i.e. Canadian, and then to the Clinton Foundation. This is an effective but still illegal loophole to protect the names of donors and sources.

****

4. EXCLUSIVE: Russia Sold Its Stake in Uranium One Shortly Before Invading Ukraine – The Same Company Clintons Helped Turn Over to Russians
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/03/exclusive-russia-sold-stake-uranium-one-shortly-invading-ukraine-company-clintons-helped-russia-buy/

5. https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3389074/posts
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3949465/posts

BTW, FOUND THIS CLINTON FOUNDATION INFORMATION...just had to share! LOL

Case 1:18-cv-01422 Document 1 Filed 06/15/18 Page 1 of 210

UNITED STATTES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
GARY J. BYRNE/ GJB, LLC RICO COMPLAINT
c/o P.O. Box 119
Morton, Pennsylvania 19070
(Actual home address withheld due to death threats and related danger to Plaintiff from Enterprise Defendants, Surrogates, Participants and Others – such address can be provided to the District Court under seal)

Plaintiff,
v.
THE CLINTON FOUNDATION a/k/a Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation
1200 President Clinton Avenue
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Via: Corporation Service Company
1090 Vermont Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005

THE CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE
1200 President Clinton Avenue
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Via: John Tisdale (Registered Agent)
200 West Capitol, Suite 2300
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
1271 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10020

THE CLINTON GUISTRA ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP
c/o Frank Giustra
1502 San Ysidro Drive
Beverly Hills, California 90210
MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA
455 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
[Page 1 of 210]

* Page 4 is VERY interesting:
NOWN NAMED
Defendants.
JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
“Viva re resistance”
Unknown Named FBI Attorney
_____________________________________
LISA PAGE: “[Trump’s] not ever going to
become President, right? Right?!

PETER STRZOK: “No. No he won’t. We’ll
stop it.”

Text Message exchange between Enterprise surrogate paramours Lisa Page (Counsel to FBI Deputy Director McCabe) and Peter Strzok (Lead Counterintelligence Officer Targeting Trump – Operation Crossfire Hurricane and Predicate Investigation, Including 2016 Presidential Contest/Transition)

LISA PAGE: “YOU’RE MEANT TO PROTECT THE COUNTRY
FROM THAT MENACE [TRUMP]”

PETER STRZOK: “I CAN PROTECT OUR COUNTRY…”

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