The FBI
released a video late Thursday showing the fatal confrontation between
one of the Oregon militia members who was occupying a federal wildlife
refuge and officers.
The
footage, which came from an FBI plane, showed officers in pursuit of a
truck with several people in it, including the group's spokesman Robert
'LaVoy' Finicum.
At one
point, the truck weaves around a roadblock and gets stuck in a snowbank
and agents give commands for nearly four minutes of the occupants to
surrender, the FBI said.
According
to Greg Bretzing, the Special Agent in Charge of FBI Oregon, Finicum
got out of the vehicle and reached his right hand towards a pocket on
the inside of his jacket, where he had a loaded 9mm gun. He was shot at
that point.
The FBI said it issued aid to Finicum and found three other loaded weapons inside.
According to the FBI, one person left Malheur Wildlife Refuge through a checkpoint Thursday morning. Four others remained.
The release of the video came as new details emerged about the arrests that were made in the case as the standoff continues.
Authorities had been waiting for
the leaders of the occupation to leave the federal facilities, sources
familiar with the case told ABC News, and on Tuesday were told that some
members would be on the move.
Two vehicles with nine militia-related individuals inside were identified and pulled over.
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Authorities
got out of their vehicles to make arrests, when one of the suspects’
vehicles -- a full sized four-door truck -- sped away, the sources said.
But authorities had already set up a roadblock to stop any escape.
The driver of the speeding truck apparently saw the roadblock at the last minute, veering off the road and hitting a snow bank.
Finicum exited the truck and was told to surrender, the sources said.
That was when officers fired at Finicum, the sources said. The shooting was caught on tape by a law enforcement camera.
Finicum's family called his death a "murder" in an earlier statement.
“This
fight against tyranny is not over. Press forward,” the statement said.
“Forgiveness is what we can extend and understanding is what we want.
Christ was and is LaVoy’s exemplar. Though there are evil and conspiring
men at work, Christ still forgave the executioners for they knew not
what they did.”