After more than three weeks of national media attention, the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon took a violent turn Tuesday afternoon when federal officials stopped several of the militia members on a state highway outside of Burns, Oregon, reports the New York Times.
During the confrontation, one person was killed, another was injured, and seven were arrested, including Ammon and Ryan Bundy, the leaders of the militia and the sons of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who has famously refused to pay his grazing fees on federally owned land, leading to an earlier standoff with authorities in 2014. According to the Times, the dead man is LaVoy Finicum, the unofficial spokesman for the occupiers. The group was reportedly on its way to speak at a community meeting. All of those arrested were charged with conspiracy to impede U.S. officers from discharging their official duties through use of force, intimidation or threats, which is a felony. Another man, Jon Eric Ritzheimer, turned himself into authorities in Peoria, Arizona, on felony charges related to the occupation.
As of late Tuesday night, several members of the militia were still occupying the wildlife refuge, according to the Times. NBC News reported that by early Wednesday, “four carloads of occupiers left” the refuge, including all the children. Jason Patrick, one of the militants, said those remaining were discussing if and how the occupation might end.
And the Washington Post reported that federal authorities said they initiated a “containment” at the wildlife refuge, “with checkpoints and promising to arrest any unauthorized people attempting to travel into the refuge. … Earlier they had asked people to leave the area, but there was little sign that the occupiers left behind had done so, setting up the possibility of some sort of police action later in the day.”