Posted on 02/03/2018 5:26:30 AM PST by Nextrush
Prosecutors say witness testimony, audio and video evidence, plus bullet trajectory analysis yielded one conclusion: FBI agent W. Joseph Astarita lied about firing two shots at the truck of refuge occupation spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum in 2016 after he swerved into a snowbank.
The information is detailed in a 32 page government response to Astarita's motion to dismiss the federal indictment against him. He's pleaded not guilty to three counts of obstruction of making false statements and two counts of obstruction of justice. Astarita's lawyer claimed the indictment was based on "junk science".
The government response also reveals that Oregon State Police SWAT troopers at the scene, ordinarily required to wear body cameras, didn't that day at the request of the FBI. The FBI did obtain video from FBI surveillance planes flying above the scene.
State police detectives also normally record interviews of officers who might be involved in a shooting, but they didn't that night when questioning the FBI Hostage Rescue Team members, but they didn't that night when questioning the FBI Hostage Rescue Team members, again at the FBI's request. A follow-up interview with the hostage team members also came with unusual conditions, prosecutors note.
Astarita's first rifle shot missed Finicum's truck entirely and the second entered Finicum's truck from the roof, "sending sparks into the cabin and blowing out the left rear passenger window next to Ryan Bundy," according to federal prosecutors.......
On Feb. 6, 2016, two state police detectives reinterviewed Astarita, but by then the hostage rescue team agents knew there were unaccounted-for gunshots and missing shell casings. The agents set conditions for the interview: They could only be interviewed as a group, the interview couldn't be recorded and their lawyer could be present on a speakerphone........
(Excerpt) Read more at oregonlive.com ...
Astarita told state police investigators that he was among the agents at the roadblock and described how Finicum's truck approached at about 70 mph. Astarita said he believed Finicum had struck another hostage team agent as he swerved into the snowbank.
That could explain why he took the shot, but doesn't excuse lying about it.
The video from Inside the vehicle
Is chilling.
Lavoy was VERY agitated...
Just despicable action by law enforcement.
Check the location of the “stop”.
There was no room for the truck TO STOP!
Had he not hit the snowbank—we would all be hearing about him “RAMMING THE POLICE”. This would then have justified A LOT MORE SHOOTING—and no survivors, most likely.
Exactly. For folks that are in their late 60s-70s or older, this place must seem unrecognizable.
That fed agency has been actively working against Americans since Hoover.
Keep defending them though.
To form an accurate opinion of the FBI field agents all one needs to do is recall RUBY RIDGE. The FBI murdered a teenage child and his mother over a sawed-off single barreled shotgun. The sawed-off shotgun resulted from undercover FBI agents enticing the dad and husband into sawing the barrel off in order to entrap him in their sting. This FBI scandal and the FBI/military massacre of the innocent men, women and children at Waco all happened on the Bill Clinton/Janet Reno watch.
I defend the truth.
Ruby happened under Bush I.
You defend your opinion.
Fidelity
Bravery
Integrity ... tripleplusgood
I defend my opinion with the truth, while you attack the messenger.
All you do is convince that I’m right.
I’m not attacking the messenger, I’m attacking an anti American institution who have a love for murdering Americans, framing innocent people, and attempting a coup on a government they don’t like.
That’s just the start of it, but by all means, tell us how great they are.
Well, you didn’t refute a word I said.
The sawed-off shotgun resulted from undercover FBI agents enticing the dad and husband into sawing the barrel off in order to entrap him in their sting.
When the FBI took over, the BATFE made Weaver out to be a violent, dangerous extremist.
It was a combination cluster-fk between the agencies.
People should have lost their jobs, at least.
Anything between agencies ["interagency" as it is called in DC] is a CF. It is hard enough getting divisions within one agency in the swamp to work together. Nothing good happens "interagency." Whenever you hear the word "interagency" run for the hills. It's where agencies exile their "very best people" you know the kinds of folks TRex has assigned to clearing up the large backlog of FIOA requests.
Suicide by cop? I have a basket of nasty adjectives that apply to your comment, but I’ll just keep them in reserve for now.
Your snarky comment and lack of rebuttal convinces me that I’m right. Thanks for posting.
To form an accurate opinion of the FBI field agents all one needs to do is recall RUBY RIDGE. The FBI murdered a teenage child and his mother over a sawed-off single barreled shotgun. The sawed-off shotgun resulted from undercover FBI agents enticing the dad and husband into sawing the barrel off in order to entrap him in their sting. This FBI scandal and the FBI/military massacre of the innocent men, women and children at Waco all happened on the Bill Clinton/Janet Reno watch.
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