Widow of slain federal wildlife refuge occupier plans to sue


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon police and two FBI agents could face a lawsuit from the widow of an Arizona rancher who took part in the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation and was killed in a confrontation with authorities.

California-based attorney Brian Claypool told the Oregonian/OregonLive (http://bit.ly/2bv2c13) that the lawsuit on behalf of Jeanette Finicum and the family has not been filed but that they are pursuing it "with 100 percent certainty."

Prosecutors determined the shots fired at 54-year-old Robert "LaVoy" Finicum were "in fact, necessary."

"All six shots fired by the Oregon State Police, the three into the truck and the three that struck Mr. Finicum, are justified," Malheur County District Attorney Dan Norris said.

Claypool says evidence shows shots were fired contrary to statements made during the investigation.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether an agent lied about firing two shots that did not hit Finicum and if four others worked to hide it later.

Claypool said more details about the lawsuit would be announced at a news conference planned for September.

Jeanette Finicum has said in a statement that her "husband was murdered."

A family statement said Finicum was "executed in cold blood."

Claypool also represents Ryan Bundy in his case related to the occupation.

___

Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

U.S.
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
    Newsletter Signup

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button