STATEMENT FROM THE LAVOY FINICUM FAMILY 1-29-2016

We know that there are always at least two sides to every story. We also know and recognize that the FBI and law enforcement agencies involved will do everything in their power to make it appear as if the needless death of our husband, father, grandfather, brother and son, LaVoy Finicum, was justified.

Like almost everyone else, we were not there, so we don’t know exactly what happened. Like most others, we have no choice but to rely on other sources of information. One of those sources of information is the account of Victoria
Sharp. Another piece of information is the video recently released by the FBI, along with the FBI’s chosen narrative of what happened. In response to this information, we would like to make a few observations.

The first observation is that from what we understand, the occupation was on track toward a peaceful resolution. LaVoy and those he was with were en route to a public meeting in an adjoining county when they were stopped in something far different than a “routine traffic stop,” as has been portrayed by the media. Unfortunately, the powers that be were not interested in being patient enough for the occupation to come to a peaceful end. Some had called for LaVoy and those he was with to simply be gunned down, just as he was, with no due process. Oregon Governor, Kate Brown, was putting pressure on the FBI to end it sooner rather than later. The Harney County Sheriff’s Department working in conjunction with the FBI tried to do everything they could to emphasize how disruptive the occupation was to the local community, when in reality it appears to have been their own reaction that was causing most of the disruption. And it was the FBI that chose to escalate the situation to force a confrontation, and violent ending.

With respect to the actual facts and circumstances surrounding LaVoy’s death, the video really speaks for itself. People will interpret it according to their own views. As the FBI’s own narrative stated, LaVoy was not wielding a firearm or any other weapon when he was killed. His hands were obviously in the air. Knowing LaVoy, it is our view that he was moving away from the vehicle in an attempt to draw any hostility or violence away from the others. Unfortunately, we don’t know what he was saying, and what was being said to him. He appears to have been gesturing, or trying to keep his balance while moving in the deep snow. Although he may have been animated, he does not appear to have been threatening or posing any real threat or danger to anyone. The FBI claims that LaVoy had a loaded firearm in an inside pocket of his coat. After re- reviewing the extended video, at this point we are not accepting at face value the FBI’s statement that LaVoy was actually armed. But even if he was, as far as we can see, that firearm posed no more danger to anyone than it would have if he had stayed in the vehicle, with his hands on the steering wheel. Contrary to what has been stated by

Detailed Version

SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT FROM THE LAVOY FINICUM FAMILY 2-2-2016

The purpose of this statement is to supplement the statement we issued earlier. It does not contradict our previous statement, but only serves to supplement, support and add detail to our previous position.

At this point, based on the additional information we have now received, it is our position that not only was the shooting death of LaVoy Finicum completely unjustified, but that the FBI and Oregon State Police may also be engaging in a cover-up, and seeking to manipulate and mislead the media and the American public about what really happened.

We realize this may sound like a bold statement, but now that Shawna Cox, who was a passenger in LaVoy’s vehicle, and an eye witness, has been released from custody, we have now had the opportunity to hear yet another account, and the ability to start cross- referencing all currently available information to figure out what really happened. This has shed important additional light on the whole ordeal — especially when Cox is given the opportunity to essentially narrate what is happening in the video, from an eye witness standpoint.

It is our position that under the guise of claimed transparency, the FBI was very quick to release a very grainy, edited video, along with their interpretation of what they claimed it showed, without any audio overlay, in an effort to attempt to try to make the first impression on this issue, and seek to sway public opinion from the outset.

Based on Shawna Cox’s account, coupled with the account of Victoria Sharp, and comparison to the video released by the FBI, we now desire to make the following additional observations:

• Mark McConnell (if that is even his real name), had previously issued a statement that LaVoy had supposedly “charged” toward the officers. According to Shawna Cox, however, McConnell was not even present and had no personal knowledge whatsoever of what happened at the roadblock where LaVoy was killed. By way of background, McConnell had shown up at the refuge just two days earlier and ingratiated himself into their circle. He insisted on driving Ammon Bundy to the meeting. His vehicle was stopped at the outset, immediately surrounded by other vehicles and officers, and Ammon was arrested at that point, without incident. According to Shawna Cox, McConnell was never arrested and hasn’t been charged. Consequently, at this point it seems fairly obvious that McConnell was either an undercover agent who was helping to orchestrate the whole thing, or he was bribed somehow. But he never even saw what happened with LaVoy.
• Officers started shooting at LaVoy’s vehicle and the people in it right from the outset, even at the very first stop. Ryan Payne put his empty hands out of

(estimated to be at least 20 at that location), thoroughly terrorized the remaining occupants of the vehicle, including two women (Shawna Cox and Victoria Sharp), by shooting the truck full of holes.

Based on the FBI’s own preemptive efforts to manipulate public opinion under the guise of transparency, it is our position that if the FBI has nothing to hide and it wants to be fully transparent about what happened, it should immediately release the following:

• All applicable audio recordings and sound tracks, including an audio track of the event recorded on Shawna Cox’s phone, which has not been released.
• Full length, unedited video (by drones, body cameras, dash cameras, etc.)
• Complete, close-up images of LaVoy’s truck following the siege.In the meantime, we will have no choice but to wait for the outcome of the independent investigation, and hope that nothing is done to tamper with the evidence.

OregonLive.com