On January 26th, Ammon Bundy along with Ryan Bundy, Brian Cavalier, Shawna Cox, Ryan W. Payne and Joseph Donald O’Shaughnessy were apprehended heading to a community meeting in John Day about 70 miles from the Harney County Resource Center. Both Ryan Bundy and LaVoy Finicum sustained gun shot wounds, Vinicum died on the scene while Ryan was treated and released from a local hospital and is in Federal custody with the remainder of the group.
The group was arrested on highway 395 where Robert “LaVoy” Finicum was shot dead, leaving behind 11 children, reportedly with his hands in the air. That claim has been substantiated by two separate sources, however, one of Bundy’s followers says Finicum was shot when he charged at federal agents. However, Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, an outspoken supporter of the Bundy family, told reporters that Ammon Bundy called his wife from the back of the police car telling her that Finicum was cooperating with police when he was shot. Members of the Bundy family say Finicum did nothing to provoke authorities; so it as of yet unclear how the shooting officially went down. Authorities did not release the name of the person who died at the highway stop, but Finicum’s daughter confirmed it was indeed her father.
“LaVoy Finicum was shot and murdered in cold blood today… by the FBI and State Law enforcement,” according to a statement on the Bundy Ranch Facebook page, which has been disseminating communications from the protesters. “He had his hands up and was shot three times.”
Previous statements made by Finicum suggest that he had no intention of being taken alive. When asked if he would rather be killed than be arrested in the event that the occupation were to turn violent, the 55-year-old occupier LaVoy Finicum, said:
“Absolutely … I have no intention of spending any of my days in a concrete box.”
“There are things more important than your life and freedom is one of them,” he said. “I’m prepared to defend freedom.”
Following the confrontation on 395, Federal law enforcement converged on the wildlife refuge and remained there throughout the night. Live feed footage shows how the majority of the remaining militia had fled following the arrest of the Bundys. It also shows how a small faction of those dedicated to the cause have resolved to remain despite Federal law enforcement surrounding the compound. The group has said they are prepared to die in order to protect the refuge, yet it is unclear how many actually remain.
Ammon Bundy has reportedly reached out through his lawyer to ask the remaining militia to leave the refuge and disperse. The remaining faction of militia has been vocal about their desire to remain “until death.”
#BREAKING Ammon Bundy, through his attorney, asks remaining occupiers at wildlife refuge to stand down and go home. #LiveOnK2
— Lincoln Graves (@LincolnGraves) January 27, 2016
Sources: http://katu.com/news/local/leader-of-oregon-occupation-ammon-bundy-three-others-arrested, http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/01/bundys_in_custody_one_militant.html, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTPWW0uN3qg