Before being shot and killed by rangers on July Fourth, officials said on Tuesday, a 28-year-old man who worked for a company in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park allegedly threatened to carry out a mass killing.
Samuel According to NPS, early on July 4, Lucas Bariah Fussner, of Milton, Florida, was approached by Yellowstone law enforcement rangers while he was allegedly shooting a semi-automatic weapon toward a dining facility at Canyon Village. According to a Tuesday NPS incident update, about 200 people were inside the facility at the time.
According to the NPS, Fussner was shot by law enforcement rangers during a gunfight and passed away immediately. NPS said that a ranger was also hit in the lower limb. After being taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition, the injured ranger was released, according to the NPS. Reports of any other injuries were absent.
NPS states that Fussner worked for Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a commercial company that was permitted to operate in Yellowstone.
When Yellowstone’s 911 dispatch center received a report just after midnight on July 4, “that a woman had been held against her will by a man with a gun in a residence at Canyon Village,” law enforcement rangers started looking for the culprit, according to a press release from the NPS.
“She also reported to law enforcement rangers that Fussner threatened to kill her and others, including plans to allegedly carry out a mass shooting(s) at July 4th events outside the park,” NPS stated.
According to NPS, Rangers were “strategically deployed” in the park in the midst of Fussner’s hunt. He “reportedly walked toward the service entrance of the facility while firing a semi-automatic rifle,” according to the NPS, and was encountered by those stationed near Canyon Lodge, which is located in the middle of the park and has employee and public dining rooms. This incident occurred at approximately 8 a.m. local time.
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According to the NPS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is in charge of this incident’s investigation, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming will assess it.
The shooting involving the rangers will be investigated, and in accordance with NPS policy, they have been placed on paid administrative leave during this time.
“Thanks to the heroic actions of our law enforcement rangers, many lives were saved here last Thursday,” Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly stated. “These rangers immediately confronted this shooter and took decisive action to ensure he was no longer a threat to public safety. We are working now to provide maximum support to those involved and their families.”
