Judge tosses most claims in armed occupation death lawsuit
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has tossed most of the civil claims brought in a wrongful death suit by the family of an Arizona rancher who served as spokesperson for the armed takeover of Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Robert “LaVoy” Finicium was fatally shot by Oregon state troopers after he crashed his truck near a roadblock as state police and FBI agents arrested key people in the antigovernment occupation. Finicum’s family alleged he was shot “assassination style” as he was trying to drive to the safety of another county. U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman on Thursday only retained a single civil rights claim against Gov. Kate Brown.
