Important info from the article:
Astarita’s bullets didn’t hit Finicum, 54. The sheriff’s investigators concluded that Astarita fired twice at the truck, hitting it in the roof and missing on the second shot.
Seconds later, state troopers shot Finicum three times after he stepped away from his pickup and reached for his inner jacket pocket, where police said he had a loaded 9mm handgun. Bullets struck him in the back and one pierced his heart, an autopsy found.
Oregon’s U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams was adamant that the FBI agent’s indictment hasn’t tainted the state troopers’ decision to shoot Finicum.
“Special Agent Astarita’s alleged actions that led to this investigation and indictment do not, in any way, call into question the findings” of Deschutes County investigators into the Oregon State Police officers’ use of deadly force, Williams said. “OSP’s actions were justified and necessary in protecting officer safety.’’
Do they say whether Finicum was inside or outside the truck at the time Astarita fired the shots?
So the agent started shooting as Finicum was exiting the vehicle, well before ‘he reached for his pistol’, nice.
There is a special place in hell for police who lie.
I saw a video, taken from within the vehicle in which LaVoy had ridden. There seemed to be a hail of gunfire (more than a dozen bangs/shots, at least as pertains the sounds that could be heard). It may be that many were flash bangs, intended to convince whomever that they were being fired upon, and their only chance for survival would be a shoot-out, thus provoking gun-fire. That's an awful trick. Nonetheless, LaVoy kept his head and (the video shows) was not reaching for any gun when he was felled.