'In my opinion Mr. Finicum was murdered,' says Nevada Assemblyman John Moore

Speaking outside the Federal Courthouse in Portland after the first court appearance of the last four occupiers of the Malheur refuge on February 12, 2016, Nevada Assemblyman John Moore opined about LaVoy Finicum's death and spoke of his own military experience with 'ambushes.'

'In my opinion Mr. Finicum was murdered,' says Nevada Assemblyman John Moore

It's a short video, posted on The Oregonian's website, oregonlive.com

Thanks to tweetie, who posted a link to this video in my Finicum did not have a death wish. Mainstream media distorted the facts. thread. That member didn't want to do a thread on it, so I decided to. I thought it was thread worthy news. It's nice to hear some more official types noticing and acknowledging the shady activities that have occurred in Oregon recently. The man has some extensive military experience to draw on in making his assessment, so I think he is worth listening to. Check it out.

a reply to: TheBadCabbie

However one wants to paint the picture of Mr Finicums death,imo, there are a few things that are undeniable in regards to the limited evidence that law enforcement prematurely released for public consumption (before the investigation could be completed).

1. He was ambushed via a roadblock on a blind corner.
2. LEO's were stationed well outside the immediate cordon area.
3. He exited the vehicle with his hands up.
4. Approx 8 seconds later he was gunned down by Federal agents.

Between events 3 & 4 he appeared to reach to his side - some say he was reaching for a weapon, others that he was reaching as a reaction to being shot.

In regards to item #2, Law enforcement had sufficient numbers at the scene to incapacitate Mr Finicum and bring him to trial but instead chose to kill him.

Unacceptable.

Because of so much info/disinfo flying about, I've reserved my opinion of this till more time went by and more evidence was presented.
That man was ambushed and murdered. Period.

a reply to: TheBadCabbie

Link

Here is the Michele Fiore part of the news conference.

Nice OP
S&Fs!!

a reply to: Sublimecraft

Don't forget also, according to those in charge of it all, the officers at the roadblocks did not have any body cams or dash cams on the cars.

The only official footage taken of that fateful incident is from the drone, there is supposedly no other footage which I find incredibly hard to believe and if they're lying about what footage there is of the incident it makes me wonder what else they're lying about

a reply to: TheBadCabbie

It's nice to hear some more official types noticing and acknowledging the shady activities that have occurred in Oregon recently.

It sure is! I am disgusted at how few elected officials are even addressing this issue -- especially in the western states where the feds own/control the most land, and whose constituents are most adversely affected by the feds abuse of power and force. Cliven Bundy is right about the county and state governments dropping the ball and allowing this abuse by the feds.

I searched yesterday to find out what the presidential candidates have said about it. I searched and searched and searched. Cruz, Rubio, and Clinton complained about the lawlessness of the situation, and said they need to go through the proper legal channels. Trump said they had to go, and to come talk to him. (I would love it if Trump jumped on the bandwagon and shone a big ol' spotlight on the issue.).

Not one even addressed the lawlessness of the federal agencies against the people which provoked this civil disobedience. Not one.

I've paid little attention to the major party candidates, because I have no intention of voting for any of them. My vote has been Gary Johnson's to lose... and if he doesn't step up to the plate here -- especially as the former governor of one of the states bullied and abused by the feds -- then he will in fact lose my vote. And if that happens and no one steps up to address this federal abuse, then I'm writing in Robert LaVoy Finicum. That's who will get my vote.

a reply to: TheBadCabbie

We've seen over and over in this country where military war tactics are being used in non-war scenarios inside the U.S. I can remember reading about many veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars returning to the U.S. and joining police forces across the country. Their deeply-embedded training is geared for war. Every domestic situation becomes a war scenario.

a reply to: Discotech

Check out 0.09sec for evidence of possible body cam footage.......

Opposition is collaboration. Now they will ALL be made an example of.

a reply to: TheBadCabbie

The determination should be left to the courts and not politicians looking for a headline. If the politicians feel this way then maybe they should be challenging the actions of the BLM / Federal government before incidents like this occur.

The roadblock established falls under deadly force. Maybe he should not have put his hands in his pockets when ordered not to.

John Moore is an idiot. When a person runs though roadblocks which everyone keeps overlooking and almost run down a cop while doing so then you just signed your death warrant. Finicum got what he deserved.

a reply to: TheBadCabbie

Now watch the press conference again and listen closely to Sheriff Ward's remarks. (7:40)



"... I'm disappointed... multiple agencies putting together the best plan they could to take this guys down peacefully... it didn't have to happen... sometimes our choices go bad... the folks out there have crated a lot of stress... tearing the community appart... we don't arm up... we don't arm up and rebell"

C'mon Sheriff!

A traffic-stop and the road block in a blind corner were supposed to end this peacefully? And now I'm supposed to believe this crap? Of course it didn't have to happen, otherwise you would've already done that earlier.
Yes I can see those FBI shills next to you, being very concerned you could spill the beans regarding this mess they dare to call 'the best plan'. Obey!

Seeing John Moore taking all concerns seriously is a relief. Godspeed!

a reply to: PublicOpinion

What the sheriff, and a lot of other people, are missing is situations like this require ALL sides to comply. In case people didnt notice finicum was alive until he decided to ignore commands and start putting his hands in pockets.

Decisions and actions are the responsibility of all parties and not just law enforcement.

In my opinion, although the overall circumstances were clearly not in Mr. Finicum's favor, not enough information has been made publicly available to determine beyond a reasonable doubt whether the shooting was justified or not.

Thus I'm glad the shooting is being challenged, hope every shred of relevant evidence is carefully examined in a court of law, and applaud all efforts to make sure that happens.

if we used algebra in situations, we could pretty much predict any consequences we might create for ourselves...
heck, we could cause better outcomes and forget about consequences...
every body's gotta be a naysayer, and life just has to suck for everybody else who doesn't matter?
if other people mattered not so many people will suck?
release the hammons, finnicum paid for their error in preserving their own land, illegally?
in the interest of justice?

a reply to: Xcathdra

Duly noted. I'll try to remember that the next time I react to a gunshot-wound instinctively, thanks.

Murdered? That was the old days and old thinking. We're in the 21st century police state and war on terror. Both rocking the boat and desire for rights to be upheld is the signature of the terrorist.

Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum yelled at police, 'Just shoot me,' witness says

Police vehicles pulled up behind them and Payne put his hands out the window, Cox said. She said he was shot in the wrist.

Finicum jumped out but Cox didn't see what happened because she was on the floor. She said she thought he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

"He was yelling, 'Just shoot me, just shoot me, just shoot me,' That's all he said. And then they did."

Cox said in the phone interview that Finicum was wearing a holster with a pistol in it when he was shot. She questioned why he would reach for a gun in his pocket.

The article contains more testimony, though I think these points are noteworthy.

Eyewitness accounts are notoriously unreliable, but the statements made by Shawna Cox and Victoria Sharp suggest a combination of trigger-happy law enforcement and a poor choice of actions and words on the part of Mr. Finicum.

Whatever the details, it's very clear that the drone footage released to the public doesn't tell the whole story, hence the need for all aspects of the incident to be examined in court.

So his argument is they used a military style ambush and he thinks law enforcement shouldn't use those tactics on protesters or citizens in genera? I think that's what I got from it.

One telling thing is a large number of people do seem to agree the takeover of the refuge was a criminal action, not a protest. The fact that the "protesters" also openly sported weapons made it all the more apparent to them. And then they find the Bundy's are a major actor in the protest and were previously involved in a armed standoff with authorities--whom turned away in the final moments and avoided a bloodshed.

I think most people just assume the law enforcement did its job because these "protesters" deserved no less than lethal force.

This is the impression I get. Propensity to identify the "protesters" as criminals is directly correlated with accepting the actions of law enforcement. There's nothing subtle about it. Criminals shouldn't be treated lightly. Lethal force--if necessary--is delivered.

It's all simple. Finicum had his chance to surrender peacefully at the first stop. He chose not to and his later actions got him killed.

Most people will soon forget about what's occured. It's all straightforward to them. There's no reason to waste time on it.

a reply to: Xcathdra
a reply to: jonnywhite

Thank you both for reminding me in no uncertain terms why it is so important to continue to shine a big fat spotlight on the ambush and cold blooded killing of LaVoy Finicum. Lethal force is only appropriate as a last and only resort for the immediate threat to life.... Anything less, especially at the hands of law enforcement, violates our natural inalienable right to life, which law enforcement is sworn to protect and defend.

I will be doing my best to make sure that in six months, 10x as many people know about LaVoy Finicum -- and, more important, the cruel and ruthless actions of the feds -- as those who know now....