After Randy Weaver, an outspoken white separatist living on a mountaintop in northern Idaho, was entrapped by an undercover federal agent, U.S. marshals trespassed on Weaver’s land and killed his 14-year-old son, Sammy. The following day, FBI sniper Lon Horiuchi killed his wife, Vicki, as she was standing in the cabin doorway. Horiuchi had previously shot Randy Weaver in the back after he stepped out of the cabin. The suspects were never given a warning or a chance to surrender and had taken no action against FBI agents. Weaver survived.
William Barr’s Connection To Ruby Ridge, Defending FBI Snipers
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Attorney General from 1991 to 1993, William Barr was responsible for both the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI during the seige at Ruby Ridge. But it wasn't until after leaving office that Barr did the most damage. In 1997, brave Idaho Prosecutor Denise Woodbury charged Lon Horiuchi – the FBI sniper who fatally shot Vicki Weaver – with involuntary manslaughter. The case was dismissed, but was eventually reversed by the Ninth Circuit, which held that the case could stand trial. By now, enough time had gone by that Woodbury got defeated in the 2000 election, and Prosecutor Brett Benson was now on the case.
It was during this time that Barr worked pro-bono, behind the scenes, to seek immunity for Horiuchi. He organized former attorney generals and others to help defend Horiuchi, and he helped frame legal documents in their appeal to the Ninth Circuit. Barr's attempt was a success, and Prosecutor Benson dismissed all charges against Horiuchi. Benson later resigned due to charges of forgery and falsifying documents.
Horiuchi's case was dismissed on September 14, 2001. Special Prosecutor Stephen Yagman, who had been appointed by Woodbury to handle the case and was later fired by Benson, said of the final outcome: ''I could not disagree more with this decision than I do.''
Horiuchi went on to be promoted in the FBI, he never spent a day in jail, and he never missed a day's pay. William Barr went on to hold several posts within the Department of Justice and the CIA, and eventually became the Attorney General under President Donald Trump.
My understanding of what started the shooting was when the ATF shot the Weaver’s dog. Randy was former military, but I don’t understand the “white separatists” bit. The dude live on a mountain away from people and he was white, so I suppose its accurate. Wasn’t that ATF guy that killed Mrs. Weaver also present when Finnacum (Bundy Oregon stand-off) was shot?