27 years ago the federal government murdered Randy Weaver's family.
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‘Substantial failures’ were found in handling of Ruby Ridge standoff in 1992 that left 3 people dead
Today 6:00 AM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An Aug. 23, 1992, photo of Randy Weaver supporters at Ruby Ridge in northern Idaho. (AP Photo/Jeff T. Green)
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By
Deb Kiner | [email protected]
On Aug. 21, 1992, after separatist Randy Weaver failed to appear in court, an 11-day standoff started at his home on
Ruby Ridge near Naples, Idaho.
On Aug. 21, U.S. marshals killed Weaver’s 14-year-old son, Sammy, after he shot at a marshal who had shot his dog. A marshal also was killed.
On the second day of that standoff, Weaver's wife, Vicki, was killed by FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi.
AP
Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms man a roadblock near Naples, Idaho, Aug. 26, 1992, where a standoff continues for the fifth day nearby at the mountaintop home of Randy Weaver. Weaver holed up in the cabin after a federal marshal was shot. (AP Photo/Gary Stewart)
From
history.com:
"In the second day of a standoff at Randy Weaver's remote northern Idaho cabin, FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi wounds Randy Weaver, Kevin Harrison, and kills Weaver's wife, Vicki.
Randy Weaver had been targeted by the federal government after failing to appear in court to face charges related to his selling of two illegal sawed-off shotguns to an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) informant. On August 21, 1992, after a period of surveillance, U.S. marshals came upon Harrison; Weaver; Weaver's 14-year-old son, Sammy; and the family dog, Striker, on a road near the Weaver property. A marshal shot and killed the dog, prompting Sammy to fire at the marshal. In the ensuing gun battle, Sammy and U.S. Marshal Michael Degan were shot and killed.
AP
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents stand next to the outbuilding located near the Randy Weaver home near Naples, Idaho, Sept. 1, 1992. The building is where agents found the body of Samuel Weaver during the 11-day standoff which ended with the surrender of Randy Weaver to federal authorities. (AP Photo/Gary Stewart)
A tense standoff ensued, and on August 22 the FBI joined the marshals besieging Ruby Ridge.
Later that day, Harris, Weaver, and his daughter, Sarah, left the cabin, allegedly for the purpose of preparing Sammy's body for burial. FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi, waiting 200 yards away, opened fire, allegedly because he thought Harrison was armed and intending to fire on a helicopter in the vicinity. Horiuchi wounded Weaver, and the group ran to the shed where Sammy's body was lying. When they attempted to escape back into the cabin, Horiuchi fired again, wounding Harrison as he dove through the door and killing Vicki Weaver, who was holding the door open with one hand and cradling her infant daughter with the other. Horiuchi claimed he didn't know that Vicki Weaver was standing behind the door. Harris, Weaver, and Weaver's three daughters surrendered nine days later."
Weaver and Harris were acquitted of Michael Degan's murder in 1993. In 1994 they filed federal civil rights cases against the FBI and U.S. marshals. The government settled the case for $3.1 million.
AP
Weapons confiscated during the Ruby Ridge standoff in Naples, Idaho, Aug. 26, 1992. (AP Photo/Mason Marsh)
In 1997, Lon Horiuchi was charged with involuntary manslaughter but the charge was dismissed in 1998. The ruling was appealed in 2001 but a new prosecutor declined to pursue the charge.
From
history.com: “The controversial standoff spawned a nationwide debate on the use of force by federal law enforcement agencies, and a U.S. Senate panel accused the federal agencies involved of ‘substantial failures’ in their handling of the Ruby Ridge operation. Of particular controversy was an FBI ‘rule of engagement’ implemented at the beginning of the Ruby Ridge siege that stated ‘any armed adult male observed in the vicinity of the Weaver cabin could and should be killed.’ Many condemned this policy as unconstitutional. Rumors that the FBI had engaged in a cover-up regarding the Ruby Ridge operation were verified when E. Michael Kahoe, former chief of the FBI’s violent crimes section, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in 1996. Kahoe, who had destroyed an official bureau critique of the standoff, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.”
