Oregon stand-off militiaman killed in shootout with the FBI: Traffic stop turns into deadly gunfight, ending with militia’s spokesman dead and leader Ammon Bundy arrested along with seven others
Traffic cops stopped the Bundy brothers and seven others on Tuesday
Shots were fired; LaVoy Finicum was killed, Ryan Bundy was wounded
Finicum, 55, a married father of 11 and grandfather of 19, acted as the militia’s spokesman
Told an Oregon paper a day before his death that law enforcement officials ‘have become more hardened’ towards their group
At the start of the occupation, Finicum said he would rather die for freedom than face arrest
Ammon Bundy and four others were detained at the scene; they have been charged with ‘conspiracy to impede federal officers’
Another three were arrested elsewhere soon after, police confirmed
Not clear who opened fire; the hospital and highway were on lockdown
It comes more than three weeks after the Bundy brothers led an occupation of a federal building in Burns, Oregon, to protest 2 ranchers being jailed
By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER and ASSOCIATED PRESS and REUTERS
PUBLISHED: 21:10 EST, 26 January 2016 | UPDATED: 10:38 EST, 27 January 2016
Oregon militia spokesman LaVoy Finicum has been shot dead after a traffic stop escalated into a shoot-out that saw Ryan Bundy wounded and eight leaders of the occupation movement arrested.
The group’s leader Ammon Bundy was among the militiamen arrested during the encounter on Tuesday afternoon as they drove to attend a community meeting in the neighboring town.
It was the culmination of a tense stand-off between federal agents and the activists more than three weeks after they took over a government building in Burns, Oregon, to protest two ranchers being jailed.
According to local media, shots were fired within minutes of the traffic stop, killing Finicum and wounding 43-year-old Ryan Bundy.
It is not clear who opened fire first.
Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, and three other leaders of the occupation – Ryan Payne, 32; Brian Cavalier, 44, and Shawna Cox, 59 – were charged with conspiracy to impede federal officers,Oregon Live reports.
All detained militia members were being held at Multnomah County Jail without bail Wednesday
