LaVoy Finicum on freedom, guns and the government
By Sarah Murphy
AJ+ reporters first met Robert “LaVoy” Finicum on Jan. 7, five days after he and other armed protesters seized the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in rural Oregon. Finicum quickly emerged as a de facto spokesperson for the armed occupiers. He both charmed and infuriated our viewers with his calmly delivered opinions on the excesses of the federal government, gun rights and more.
On Jan. 26, Finicum was killed in a confrontation with law enforcement. Eight other occupiers were arrested.
Here’s a look at some of the conversations AJ+’s Dena Takruri had with Finicum in early January. Much of this footage from that day didn’t make it into our original coverage. We’re sharing it with you now.
We didn’t just talk to Finicum with our professional cameras, though. We also broke out the smartphone to Periscope a live conversation with him.
Here’s the full piece we published Jan. 8. It features our conversation with Finicum as well as a dialogue with fellow occupier — and infamous anti-Muslim protester — Jon Ritzheimer. Ritzheimer, who was home in Arizona at the time of Finicum’s shooting, separately turned himself in to local police in Arizona on Jan. 27.
