Ruby Ridge
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Ruby Ridge is a remote mountainous area in the northern Idaho Panhandle, known for a confrontation in August 1992 between a family living there and agents of the US federal government. The actions of the government forces were later widely criticized by the US Senate and others; the government later settled for $3.1 million.
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Background
Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) were trying to infiltrate the Aryan Nations, a group of white supremacists based at nearby Hayden Lake. It remains hotly debated whether Randy Weaver, a local farmer, was a sympathizer, but he had visited the Aryan Nation church on more than one occasion [1].
He seemed well placed to act as an infiltrator, but refused to when asked. Perhaps intending to elicit his cooperation, the BATF used an undercover operation in which they told Weaver to saw off the barrels of two shotguns, an inch below the legal limit. It is disputed between the BATF and Weaver as to who exactly shortened the barrels to below the minimum legal length of 18 inches. He failed to appear in court to answer the charges, citing an incorrect date on his summons. However, the US Marshals Service attempted to negotiate Weaver's surrender for more than a year after the scheduled court date. At one point in the negotiations Weaver sent a letter to the Boundary County Sheriff stating he refused to leave his property.
Events
After several months of unsuccessfully attempting to negotiate Weaver's surrender, for the arrest warrant issued for his failure to appear in court, the US Marshals Service began surveillance of the Weavers in preparation for an arrest. At one point, Randy Weaver, his (14-year-old) son Sam and his friend (and house guest) Kevin Harris went hunting on the property, along with several of the family's dogs. The three split up in the hopes of flushing out a deer. Harris and Sam were together, while Weaver went in a different direction. Kevin and Sam unknowingly stumbled upon a group of federal Deputy U.S. Marshall (DUSM) when one of their dogs scented the agent. The canine approached the agent, who opened fire on the dog, killing it. Sam, upon seeing the camo-clad agent shoot the dog, returned fire. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, Sam was shot and wounded. As Sam ran away, he was fatally shot in the back. At that point, Harris, who had seen the dog and child die, fired back, killing one of the agents.
The next day, a FBI sniper named Lon Horiuchi wounded Weaver while Weaver, Harris, and Weaver's daugher were outside. As the three people ran back to the house, Horiuchi fired again in an attempt to shoot Kevin Harris, but the shot went through the open door of the cabin killing Weaver's wife Vicki, and only wounding Harris. Vicki Weaver was holding a baby in her hands when shot. Much controversy was later generated by the fact that, after the first day's events, the FBI had changed the rules of engagement. Specifically, that "deadly force could be used against any armed adult male if the shot could be taken without a child being injured." [2]
A stand-off ensued for ten days as several hundred federal agents surrounded the house, in which Weaver and his three surviving children remained with Harris. The area was surrounded by protesters angered at the heavy-handed nature of the authorities' actions. James "Bo" Gritz, then a third-party presidential candidate who had formerly been Weaver's commanding officer during the Vietnam War, served as a mediator between Weaver and the government. Eventually, Weaver elected to abandon the stand-off and trust his case to the judicial system.
Outcomes
At his trial in 1993, Weaver faced an array of charges, including the original weapons violations as well as murder. He was represented by noted trial lawyer Gerry Spence. Spence successfully argued that Weaver acted in self-defense, winning Weaver's acquittal on all charges except missing his original court date, for which he was sentenced to 18 months and fined $10,000. He was credited with time served and spent an additional 3 months in prison. Harris was acquitted of all charges. At one point in the trial, the judge admonished the FBI for withholding name-clearing evidence.
Later investigations criticized the federal agents. The United States Department of Justice's report recommended criminal prosecution of federal agents, though nothing has come of this. The surviving members of the Weaver family received a $3.1 million settlement.
The US Senate in September 1995 held hearings on the Ruby Ridge incident and, in December, released a report criticizing the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies.
Idaho state authorities indicted Horiuchi for involuntary manslaughter, but the indictment was removed to federal jurisdiction based on the Supremacy Clause. The indictment was dismissed first by the Federal District Court, and on appeal the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The 9th Circuit Court stated in their ruling in State of Idaho v. Horiuchi (98-30149), "Horiuchi reasonably believed that shooting Harris was necessary and proper under the circumstances. Given the circumstances at the time, Horiuchi made an objectively reasonable decision," and "Horiuchi's testimony that he never saw Vicki Weaver and did not know she was behind the door was not disputed."[3]
Weaver himself wrote a 1998 paperback book, The Federal Siege At Ruby Ridge, about the incident. Years later, he was still selling it at occasional appearances on the gun show circuit as far away as the east coast.
Music
Politically influenced band Propagandhi mentions Ruby Ridge in the song "Todays Empires, Tomorrows Ashes" - "The tangled webs they weave span from Pine to Ruby Ridge, way back from Shay's defeat on up to Gustafsen."
