LaVoy Finicum Shooting: FBI Agent Charged With Lying To Investigators

The FBI agent who fired two shots during the attempted arrest of Oregon Standoff figure LaVoy Finicum is charged with making false statements to investigators probing the shooting, according to two sources familiar with the investigation. Finicum, who was reaching for a gun, was shot and killed during the encounter.

Finicum was killed during a traffic stop as he and several other figures from the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge drove to a meeting with Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer who was perceived as friendly to their cause.

There were several FBI agents - members of the Bureau's Hostage Rescue Team - involved in the traffic and at least two shots were fired by them.

That fact did not come out until weeks later at a press conference when it was disclosed investigators had determined that eight shots had been fired but only six could be attributed to Oregon State Troopers.

The charges, first reported Tuesday by the Oregonian, are the result of a more than one year investigation into the shooting. The charges will be unsealed Wednesday afternoon.

Patch was the first to report that FBI agents had come under investigation.

"The question of who fired these shots has not been resolved," FBI Special-Agent-in-Charge of the FBI's Portland office, Greg Bretzing said at the press conference last March.

One did go through the roof of the truck that Finicum, was driving and one missed the truck.

It was only after investigators discovered the bullet hole in the roof and did forensic testing that they determined it had not come from one of the state troopers.

Using the aerial video shot by the FBI that day and combining it with computer analysis and video shot by Shawna Cox, who was in the truck, investigators were able to conclude the shot had to have been fired by an agent from the Hostage Rescue Team.

The FBI agents were interviewed on January 26 and again on February 5th and 6th. At no point during those interviews, did any FBI agent admit to firing a shot, being aware of who fired a shot, or know what happened to the shell casings.

"Of particular concern to all of us is that the FBI HRT (Hostage and Rescue Team) operators did not disclose their shots to our investigators." Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson said at that press conference.

"Nor did they discuss specific actions they took after the shooting, which are the subject of an ongoing investigation."

Greg Bretzing - who was in charge of the FBI's Portland Office at the time - U.S. Attorney Billy Williams, and top FBI officials were briefed on what was found by investigators.

Prosecutors asked a grand jury to consider evidence related to the conduct of the FBI agents including were they truthful with investigators and did they cover-up evidence.

Photo via Deschutes County Sheriff's Office