LaVoy Finicum

Robert LaVoy Finicum (January 27, 1961 – January 26, 2016) was one of the American militants who staged an armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in January 2016.

After it began, the occupying force organized itself as the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, of which Finicum was a spokesman.

He was the only fatality of the occupation.

In 2002, he filed for bankruptcy while living in New Mexico and doing business as "Southwest Horse and Trails".

By 2008, he operated a foster home for troubled boys near Chino Valley, Arizona.

According to a 2010 tax filing, Catholic Charities Community Services in Arizona paid the family US$115343 to foster children in 2009.

According to the High Country News, "the public record on Finicum is thin prior to 2014".

At the time, he released a YouTube video in which he claimed it was unconstitutional for the federal government to own BLM lands and said he was inspired by a Nevada rancher, Cliven Bundy, and events surrounding the 2014 Bundy standoff.

In less than six months, Finicum accrued more than US$12,000 in fees and fines, which he refused to pay.

In August 2015, Finicum decided to cease complying with the terms of his grazing permit with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

In the first complaint filed with the court, the government alleged Finicum had accompanied Keebler on a "reconnaissance" of the cabin in October 2015.

However, the government later filed a corrected complaint and an FBI agent testified that Finicum had not actually been there.

His widow said Keebler had been at their ranch on other business that day, and said that her husband had no knowledge of Keebler's bombing plans.

Finicum was driving his white 2015 Dodge Ram pickup truck, followed by a dark-colored Jeep.

State and federal authorities used the opportunity to intercept them with a two-phase operation involving a traffic stop and a roadblock about two miles further along the highway.

Both were set up on an unpopulated stretch of U.S. Route 395 in Harney County.

The operation had originally been planned for a location in adjacent Grant County, but was moved to Harney County because the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Oregon State Police (OSP) considered the Grant County sheriff, Glenn Palmer, to be a security leak because of favorable comments he had made with respect to the militants.

Authorities feared a militia response, and a location was selected with poor cell phone service.

As the convoy entered the operation area, vehicles driven by the FBI and the OSP pulled in behind the Jeep.

When the Jeep pulled over, Ammon Bundy and Brian Cavalier were peacefully arrested.

The driver of the Jeep, Mark McConnell, who was a government informant and the only occupant of the vehicle with a firearm, was not arrested or charged.

Driving the leading vehicle, Finicum initially kept going but eventually stopped as well.

Police fired a 40 mm plastic-tipped round of pepper spray, which hit the top of his truck.

At that point, Ryan Payne exited Finicum's truck and surrendered peacefully.

On January 26, 2016, law enforcement officers attempted to arrest Finicum and other occupation leaders while they were traveling on a remote highway to meet with supporters in the next county.

When Finicum's truck was finally stopped by a roadblock, he exited the vehicle into deep snow and was fired upon, but the officers missed.

Finicum then made two motions to his jacket while yelling at police that they would have to shoot him, which they did.

Finicum died on scene and officers later found a loaded weapon in his pocket.

Before the occupation, Finicum lived in Arizona where he made a living as a foster parent and operated a no-income cattle ranch.

In January 2016, the state removed all of Finicum's foster children because of his involvement with the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (discussed below).

Finicum said this took away his family's main source of income.

During that time, Finicum also operated a ranch that did not produce income.

After the state removed his foster children, Finicum told the media, "My ranch, well, the cows just cover the costs of the ranch."

In 2016, Finicum was erroneously mentioned in court filings in the government's felony case against William Keebler, who planted a bomb at a BLM cabin near Finicum's ranch earlier that year.

Finicum was a spokesman for the armed militants who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in early 2016.

He was dubbed "Tarp Man" by MSNBC for sitting outside at night in a rocking chair, holding a rifle on his lap, and sometimes covering himself completely with a blue tarpaulin for additional protection against the elements.

When asked on January 6 if he would rather be killed than arrested if the occupation turned violent, Finicum replied, "I have no intention of spending any of my days in a concrete box."

On January 26, Finicum was one of several occupation leaders who left the refuge in Harney County in a two-truck convoy.

The convoy also included the occupation leaders, Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, Shawna Cox and Ryan Payne, and two supporters, Victoria Sharp and Brian Cavalier.

Their intention was to speak at a public meeting in John Day, Grant County.