1992 – Aug 21-22, Violence, Gov. Use of Force, U.S. Marshals/FBI, Ruby Ridge, ID — 3

— 3  German, Erik. “Retro Report. Rugy Ridge: American Standoff.” NY Times. 10-26-2014.

— 3  U.S. DOJ. Report of the Ruby Ridge Task Force…, June 10, 1994, pp. 1-2.

 

Narrative Information

 

German: “When armed suspects stand off against the law today, one event continues to cast a shadow on both sides of the police line: the 1992 siege at Ruby Ridge. In 1992, federal agents surrounded the remote Idaho cabin of fugitive Randy Weaver, wanted for selling two illegal sawed-off shotguns to an informant. By the time Weaver surrendered 11 days later, his wife, 14-year-old son and a federal agent were dead.

 

“The outcry afterwards sparked Congressional hearings and investigations that shook the highest ranks of the FBI. It also began a new way of thinking about police tactics that has impacted some of the most far-flung corners of the country.”

 

U.S. DOJ Executive Summary: “Overview. In February 1993, the Office of Professional Responsibility (‘OPR’) of the U.S. Department of Justice (the ‘Department’) was informed of allegations made by defense counsel for Randall (‘Randy’) Weaver and Kevin Harris in the criminal case of United States v. Weaver which was pending in the federal district court in Idaho. Defense counsel alleged that employees of several components of the Department had engaged in criminal and professional misconduct during the investigation, apprehension and prosecution of Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris. The Department decided to defer action on this matter until the criminal trial was completed.

 

“In July 1993, a jury acquitted Weaver and Harris of charges stemming from the murder of a federal officer. Following the acquittal, numerous additional allegations were raised by defense counsel and other sources against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (‘BATF’), the U.S. Marshals Service (‘Marshals Service’) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho (‘USAO’). Included among these allegations were claims that Department employees had unlawfully caused the deaths of Sammy and Vicki Weaver, had taken actions that had obstructed justice, had committed perjury and had engaged in other criminal and ethical misconduct. In late July 1993, attorneys from OPR and the Criminal Division of the Department, assisted by inspectors from the FBI, began an investigation of these allegations.

 

“This report details the results of this investigation and traces chronologically the events that occurred in the Weaver matter….These efforts culminated in the August 21, 1992 gun battle at Ruby Ridge which took the lives of Deputy Marshal William Degan and Weaver’s son, Sammy Weaver. Next the report contains a discussion of the involvement of the FBI in the Weaver matter, including its initial intervention in the crisis, its responsibility for the death of Vicki Weaver and wounding of Kevin Harris on August 22, 1992, its handling of the crisis including its attempts to end the week-long standoff, its handling of the crime scene searches and its subsequent activities in assisting the USAO in preparing the Weaver case for trial….” (p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

German, Erik. “Retro Report. Rugy Ridge: American Standoff.” New York Times 10-26-2014. Accessed 4-8-2016 at: http://www.retroreport.org/video/ruby-ridge-american-standoff/

 

United States Department of Justice. Report of the Ruby Ridge Task Force to the Office of Professional Responsibility of Investigation of Allegations of Improper Governmental Conduct in the Investigation, Apprehension and Prosecution of Randall C. Weaver and Kevin L. Harris. Washington, DC: US DOJ, June 10, 1994. Accessed 4-8-2016 at: https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opr/legacy/2006/11/09/rubyreportcover_39.pdf