Posted on 01/29/2016 9:11:08 AM PST by Jeff Head
I have placed 42 still photos from the FBI video of the apprehension of the Bundy brothers and the individuals with them in Oregon in the very early morning hours of January 27, 2016, where Lavoy Finicum, one of the people protesting with the Bundys, was killed. All of those photos are on the following Flickr album:
Flickr Album: The Death of Lavoy Finicum
The video that was released by the FBI, showing the entire episode from the point of view of an unmanned drone which was circling overhead, can be found on YouTbue here:
FBI Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAGxDWKrjPQ
It is a hard video to watch. Lavoy Finicum was a successful rancher in his mid fifties from Arizona, a father of eleven children, and a grandfather of numerous grand children. He was paasionate about the United states, its constitution, and his liberty and that of his family and fiends...and all Americans.
I am aware of, and am sympathetic to the issues that the Bundys, LAvoy, and the others raised. There is broad over reach by the Federal Government when it comes to property rights and other issues in the nation, and in the Intermountain West specifically. I was personally very involved in a similar incident at Klamath Falls, OR, in early 2001 that extended through the summer there. In our case we were not armed, but we were face to face with federal lawn enforcement who were.
In this case, the Bundys and those with them had occupied a Wildlife Refuge that was closed for the Winter near Burns Oregon. Thye were armed but indicated ovr and over that they sought no violence, but would protect themselves. They had been invited to a meeting in John Day Oregon, about 70 miles from where they were located, to meet with a sympathetic Sheriff there and other supporters. There are reports...that have not been confirmed...that they had been offered safe passage to go to that meeting. This would not be surprising because they had been allowed to come and go to and aattend other meetings in the area to that point.
A little after 12:25 AM, as the two cars containing eight of the group (a Jeep in the back with Ammon Bundy, the group's leader in the back, and a white four door pickup truck driven by Lavoy Finicum and including Ammon's brother in the front) passed a side road. In th epciture you can see several things right away that put to rest the bizarre notion advanced by the Sheriff in Harney County and the FBI that the Oregon Highway Patrol made a routine traffic stop of these vehicles.
At that point we see from the video that an aircraft, likely, an unmanned drone (UAV) with obvious infrared surveillance capabilities (this wa sjuts after midnight), was in the air in that remote area. Since when does such an aircraft patrol remote areas of Oregon? In addition, as the two cars pass the side road, you can see nine or ten State and Federal vehicles lined up on the side road waiting for them to pass. Since when are noine or ten Federal vechilces parked on a side road in remote Oregon just wainting for a routine traffic issue?
This was not routine. This was an ambush where the Bundys were lured out of the refuge and ewas set up to capture them. It speaks to betrayal, by the Sheriff, by the FBI, and probably by someone within the Bundy group.
Within a minute and a half both cars are pulled over. The video focuses on the lead car, but we know that after being stopped, the trailing car was approached and the three men in that car, including Ammon Bundy were peacefully taken into custody.
By then it had been several minutes. Before the officers, who can be seen with weapons drawn and surrounding their own vehicles behind the lead pickup truck can make specific demands of Finicum's vehicle (apparently they were waiting fo word that the other vehcile had beens secured before proceeding), Lavoy Finicum decides to rapidly drives away. It was a fateful...and ultimately fatal, decision.
A pursuit ensues.
It is not what you would call a hot pursuit. It does not appear that any shots were fired. You can clearly see the back window of the topper on the truck and its front windshield before it leaves and they are intact. The chaser vehicle is several seconds behind them.
Why? Because a mile up the road, as the video shows, law enforcement had already established a road block just in case. Three cars wait there, with approximately ten individuals.
As Lavoy approaches, he immediately veers to his left to try and pass. One of the law enforcement personnel gets out of one of the vehicles and positions himself next to the road, I am sure at the edge of the pavement, so that Lavoy would veer further into the snow. This was a dangerous move. It all happened in just 2-3 seconds. Finicum does veer further off the road onto the shoulder and into the snow which is piled up on the side of the road.
His vehicle comes to a rest, stuck in the snow drift at 12:34:53.
As Lavoy gets out, the law enforcement vehicle chasing them approaches the road block.
Lavoy by then is away the vehcile and has his hands up and is approached by one officer to the right of the picture who has a weapon drawn at 12:34:58.
Lavoy appears to reach for to his side, towards his his hip at 12:25:02. It does not appear that the law officer shoots. Some people believe the law officer had tased Lavoy at that point and that is why he appeared to reach down. We simply cannot tell from the video.
Another officer approaches Lavoy on the left at 12:35:03, from out of the trees, and Lavoy turns toward him.
Again, at this point, Lavoy appears to reach down at 12:35:05 as that officer extends his left arm and hand toward him.
Was Lavoy tased there? We cannot say from this video. Whatever the case, immediately after reaching down this second time, Lavoy appears to be shot at 12:35:06 by the pofficer to the left.
He then falls to the ground at 12:35:07. Except for one brief movement of his arm, Lavoy does not move again.
I do not see evidence in the video that he is shot multiple times after being down. I do see the officers lower their weapons and walk around him, keeping their eyes on him as they go to their vehicles to continue the apprehension of the other three people in the truck.
For the next several minutes several things occur. You see at least three flash bangs go off. One above and behind the truck at 12:35:27, another right next to the truck at 12:35:32, and a third in the air in front of the truck as 12:35:33. Here's the one going off to the side of the truck at 12:35:32.
Looking at the windows, you see what might be one or two bullet holes in the front window at 12:36:36...but it is hard to say. It certainly has not been shot out. The same is true for the rear window. Compare the pcitures here and on Flickr to the earlier ones showing those windows (front and rear) ealrier when there had been no shooting. You can see the same things sitting on the dash.
At 12:40:45, the second person (Ammon's brother) is getting out with his hands raised. Apparently he had been wounded in the arm by gunfire...either directed a Lavoy earlier, or directed at the vehicle at some point.
A picture soon after taht, at 12:41:13, makes it clear that the topper window on that side is shot out, and the back seat passenger window on that side has also either been shot out or rolled down.
At 12:42:55 the next person exits the vehicle and is then secured.
By 12:47:00 all three are out and it is then that the officers approach Lavoy's body. 12 minutes after he had been shot.
Once officer kneels down and removes Lavoy’s hat on the video, letting it fall to the snow. He appears to call another officer over who kneels down and takes a look at Lavoy too. I presume at this point they determined that he had died.
There are many who, in the emotion and anger of the moment, are calling this an assassination. As a person who has been on the front line in a similar incident, I honestly cannot say that it appears that way at all.
They Bundy’s vehicles were stopped. Lavoy, for whatever reason, chose to drive away from law enforcement who had stopped him. When reaching the road block a mile or so up the road about a minute, or a little more later, he tried to go around it through the snow.
One officer was put in mortal danger when he attempted to position himself on the pavement next to the road and force Lavoy further off. This all happened in about two seconds. I am sure Lavoy did not see that officer when he veered to the side, and it is clear that he made no attempt to run the man down. Rather, he veered further into the snow...which I believe was the officer's intent, and got stuck.
Lavoy immediately exited the truck. Though most of the time he had his arms raised, he did reach down to his side twice. Was he tased and that caused it. We simply do not know. At that point it was a mortally dangerous situation. In such a tense standoff, where law enforcement believes you are armed and dangerous, anything but getting down and spread eagled is a recipe for disaster.
What most certainly can be argued, and should be argued, is whether any of this takedown was necessary at all.
To that point the Bundys had not endangered anyone. They had not attempted to attack or threaten law enforcement. They had been allowed to come and go to various meetings...and apparently were supposed to be allowed to go to the one in John Day they were headed towards.
If they had been allowed to do so, one man would not be dad...a 56 year-old man, father of eleven, grandfather of numerous more, and a successful rancher from Arizona, and another man would not be wounded.
I hope and pray that the court proceedings focus on that. As with Ruby Ridge ad Waco, irrespective of whatever minor infractions, I believe we will all find again, that it was unnecessary and that lives were lost and people were killed that should have gone on living.
And the protests against the Federal encroachment will continue...and I hope they do, and I hope that more people are made aware of it and get involved...so that these people, including Lavoy, will not have died in vain.
Jeff Head
Idaho, USA
January 29, 2016
See the following links for some of my "straight talk" messages to all Americans:
The Stand at Klamath Falls
My Message on Islamic Terrorism
The Boston Marathon Terror Bombing
Sharia Law must be outlawed in the United States
Fast & Furios and the Obama Administration
Mass Shootings and Gun Control
Black and Latino Americans: For God's Sake Wake Up!
Ferguson Missouri and False Narratives
Secure our Southern Border
My Oath to the Constitution as a US Citizen
Thank you.
Yes, the LEO that jumps in front of the vehicle to force it into deep snow could have been hurt but LaVoy did his best to avoid him. Were shots already being fired at this point? Need the audio to understand fully. With his arms up and goading officers to “Just shoot me than!” he was likely reacting pain from being shot or muscle reaction to a tazer from the LEO at his left side as he faced the truck. He is not reaching for a weapon. This was an orchestrated execution and murder at worst and a bad shoot at best. Either way it was planned and staged. You could sense the guilt and emotion from the Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward during press interview the following morning. He was red faced and stammering to get the words out to justify in his own mind why he let the FBI allow a violent end to this.
And therein lies the rub...
They waited for the drone to be out of view or frame before shooting or using the flash bangs at the first stop. To the girl it may have been only gunfire, it may have been both, either way it forced Valoy to take action and move away.
LaVoy...
Thanks Jeff,
Lavoy put himself in a deadly situation,
just A word;
Situational Awareness.
Thank you for posting this-
I stilll do not know what to make of this situation- fore thought on part of law enforcement to have drone or aircraft in area- but no dash cam video- no audio - especially in this day , after the BLM (black live matters) not the other one stink about filming all law enforcement encounters.
This would not be surprising because they had been allowed to come and go to and attend other meetings in the area to that point.
IF they had safe passage and drove into an heavily armed road block, law enforcement's credibility has suffered a big set back.
Lavoy tried to bust through the roadblock by leaving the road. He was driving fast right at the vehicles until the last second. That’s when the shooting began as Lavoy was driving right at them. It’s terrible that he was killed but if you look at the progression (tried to elude, tried to bust by roadblock, jumped from car and probably ignored orders, reached for coat) Lavoy blew it.
...
He implied within the last couple of weeks that he wasn’t going to be taken alive.
Shots were fired at the very first stop. They were fleeing felons from that point on.
Pretty sure he was right handed. Here's a pic of him with a western rig on:
They were caught, under the guise of meeting with other law enforcement, by the Feds (with state backup?)
It was a felony arrest stop the first time they were stopped. Shots were fired then from LEO and they fled from that into the road block.
What LEOs initial provocation at the first stop to resort to deadly force?
Does this non compliance get elevated into justified homicide under the color of law enacted by the people?
My FUBAR meter is pegged for the week. I gotta go do some organic life type stuff.
Please be safe.
Jeff,
Many many thanks for all your hard work on this!
I noticed the links in your initial post take me back to the FR article and not the photo gallery or YouTube link.
I saved the utube link you posted later on in the thread.
I am so tired of government employees screwing things up and then lying to us.
What time did this happen? What were the light conditions?
Law enforcement had rifles and night vision equipment in an uninhabited area with deep snow.
They had every advantage, but they rush in with handguns?
Don’t pass the common sense test.
Here’s the link to the Flickr Album (lots more pics there):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeff_head/albums/72157663502805220
Here’s the link to the full FBI Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAGxDWKrjPQ
Well, we really can’t complain. Rememeber all those Occupy Wallstreet crowd that got mowed down in machine gun fire? Remember all those dead looters the cops stopped from BLM?.... Oh, wait a sec...
Cannot be compared!!!
WHY was a spying drone there in first place, hmmm ???
There is some disagreement as to what actually happened and what the video really shows, so I will just confine myself to some questions which occurred to me.
If LaVoy was seeking an armed confrontation why didn't he exit the vehicle weapon drawn and firing?
Many have pointed out LaVoy had publically announced his unwillingness to be taken alive. Were the feds thus required to oblige him?
LaVoy is alleged to have been carrying a handgun and he might have been reaching for it before the fatal shots. Why did he wait? Ever hear of a "cold piece"?
Did the feds provoke this confrontation in the hopes of a even more violent outcome? Reports have it Ammon surrendered without incident. Lucky for him?
Before you accuse me of being paranoid or too conspiracy minded, remember Waco and Ruby Ridge. Fed credibility is shot and I, for one, would put nothing past them. It may be what they will say it was: a justifiable shooting of a known potentially violent militant. Was Vicki Weaver potentially violent while she was holding her baby? Were the children at Waco a clear and present danger to the LEOs at Waco? And yet...
JUST ANOTHER LEO justifying MURDER... WAY TO GO
leos flexing nuts on US CITIZENS... hey big brave boys.... go fight ISIS
JOIN THE STRYKER BRIGADE.... SHOW US HOW “BRAVE” YOU REALLY ARE
was he shot in the back..... real bravery ...HUH ??????? cowards way
WHY DO I SAY THAT...
what was the urgency in the ambush?
they were enroute to a meeting in another town..
they could have been apprehended there
the protest was peaceful
unlike Baltimore
Ferguson
Occupy Wall Street (numerous rapes)
one of the eyewitnesses says he was shot at least MINIMUM 3 times...
PERHAPS IN THE HIP.... hence the reach
and finally — where is the evidence he was armed at the time he was MURDERED...???
HE WAS NOT TASERED... IF HE WAS THEN WHY THE GUNFIRE???
WHY WAS ANOTHER OCCUPANT IN THE VEHICLE WOUNDED?
an eyewitness says this person was shot at the earlier HRT encounter..
and at lest 100 + shots fired.... hence the attempt to escape
THE HRT HAS A HISTORY OF MURDERING PEOPLE
WACO
RUBY RIDGE and now this ATROCITY.......
THIS INCIDENT SHOWS THAT OBAMA CAN MURDER ANY US CITIZEN HE WISHES ON ANY FLIMSY EXCUSE HE WISHES ANY PLACE ANY TIME...
WHAT ROE WERE FOLLOWED HERE ??????????????
oh excuse me i forgot
he was white
he was christian
he was unarmed
he ws protesting UNCONSTITUTIONAL BLM AND PARKLAND ACTIVITY
and he was protesting the unusual imprisonment of two other US CITIZENS who were prosecuted and sentenced under a law intended for terrorists... while the BLM burns hundreds of thousands of acres of public and private (without permission) acres and NO ONE GETS PUT ON TRIAL OR CONVICTED
gee but it’s nice to be a government parasite.....NO ACCOUNTABILITY
so now the shooters can tell their children and grandchildren how they murdered a good person who was standing up for others constitutional rights.....
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