Ruby Ridge

Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge was the site of an eleven-day siege in

Ruby Ridge standoff
1992 in Boundary County, Idaho. It began on August
21, when deputies of the United States Marshals
Service (USMS) came to arrest Randy Weaver under a
bench warrant after his failure to appear on federal
firearms charges. During a surveillance operation,
Weaver's dog was shot by one of the officers, Art
Roderick, leading Sammy Weaver to fire at the team.
Weaver was then shot and killed, causing an exchange
of fire in which Kevin Harris shot and killed Deputy
U.S. Marshal William Francis Degan. Weaver, Harris,
and members of Weaver's immediate family refused to
surrender. The Hostage Rescue Team of the Federal
Vicki Weaver as seen from a USMS
Bureau of Investigation (FBI HRT) became involved as
surveillance position
the siege developed.[1]
In the subsequent siege, Weaver's wife Vicki was killed

by FBI sniper fire while she was holding her baby
daughter. All of the casualties occurred in the first two
days of the operation. The siege and the standoff were
ultimately resolved by civilian negotiators. Harris
surrendered and he was arrested on August 30, and
Weaver and his three daughters surrendered the next
day. Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris were arraigned
on a variety of federal criminal charges, including first-
degree murder for the death of Degan. Harris was USMS surveillance photo showing Sammy
acquitted of all of the charges, and Weaver was Weaver (left), Kevin Harris (center), Sara
acquitted of all of the charges except the original bail Weaver (right)
condition violation for the firearms charges and the
Both photos taken on August 21, 1992
charge which he incurred after he missed his original
court date.[2][3] Date August 21–31, 1992
During the federal criminal trial of Weaver and Harris, Location Near Naples, Idaho, U.S.
Weaver's attorney, Gerry Spence, made accusations of 48°37′14″N 116°25′59″W
criminal wrongdoing against the agencies which were Caused by Resistance to USMS actions
involved in the incident, in particular, the FBI, the taken pursuant to a bench
USMS, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms warrant for Randy Weaver; FBI
(ATF), and the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) actions taken following shooting
for Idaho. At the end of the trial, the Department of death of a U.S. Marshal,
Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility formed statements by Weaver, and
the Ruby Ridge Task Force (RRTF) in an attempt to shots allegedly fired at a news
investigate Spence's charges; their report raised helicopter
questions about all of the participating agencies'
conduct and policies. The Weaver family and Harris Resulted in Deaths of Deputy U.S. Marshal
both filed civil suits against the federal government in W. F. Degan, Samuel Weaver
response to the firefight and the siege. The Weavers (juvenile), Striker (dog), and
won a combined out-of-court settlement in August 1995 Vicki Weaver; prosecution of
of $3.1 million. After numerous appeals, Harris was Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris
awarded a $380,000 settlement in September 2000. (later acquitted); civil suits
against the US
In an attempt to answer the public's questions about Parties to the civil conflict
Ruby Ridge and restore its confidence in federal law
Randy Weaver,
enforcement, the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism,
members of his U.S. government
Technology and Government Information held hearings
immediate family,
between September 6 and October 19, 1995, and later, U.S. Marshals
and friend Kevin
it issued a report in which it called for reforms in federal
Harris FBI
law enforcement in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the
losses of life at Ruby Ridge and restore the public's ATF
confidence in federal law enforcement.[4] The Casualties and losses
Government Accountability Office (GAO) also
conducted a review of federal policies about use of 2 killed 1 U.S. Marshal killed
2 wounded
deadly force, publishing it in 1995.
Ruby Ridge
In 1997, the Boundary County prosecutor indicted FBI
HRT sniper Lon Horiuchi for manslaughter before the
statute of limitations for the charge could expire; the
case, Idaho v. Horiuchi, was moved to federal court.[5]
The case was dismissed because of the supremacy
clause. The United States Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit ruled in 2001 that Horiuchi could be tried
on state charges, but the new county prosecutor
dismissed the case, saying it was unlikely the state Location in the United States
would be able to prove the criminal charges. Benson's
Ruby Ridge
decision was controversial.[6][7]
Law enforcement's response at Ruby Ridge, and its

response at the Waco siege roughly six months later,
were both cited by Timothy McVeigh as his motivation
to carry out the Oklahoma City bombing with Terry
Nichols.[8]
Geography
Ruby Ridge is the southernmost of four ridges that
extend east from the Bottleneck/Roman Nose mountain
range toward the Kootenai River.[9] Caribou Ridge lies
north of it,[10] and the area between them drains into
the Ruby Creek. Weaver insisted that his cabin, located
north of the creek, was on Caribou Ridge, and that
"Ruby Ridge" was a press invention.[11] Both ridge Location in Idaho
names were in use before the Weavers moved to the
area, as in a Forest Service report on the 1967 Sundance Fire.[12] The standoff occurred approximately ten
miles (16 km) from the nearest incorporated city of Bonners Ferry and approximately thirty miles (48 km)
south of the border with Canada (British Columbia).
Development
Randy Weaver, a former Iowa factory worker and U.S. Army soldier, moved with his wife and four
children to northern Idaho during the 1980s so they could "home-school his children and escape what he
and his wife Vicki saw as a corrupted world."[13][14][15] In 1978, Vicki, the religious leader of the
family,[16] began to have recurrent dreams of living on a mountaintop and believed that the apocalypse was
imminent.[17] After the birth of their son, Samuel, the Weavers began selling their belongings[18] and
visited the Amish to learn how to live without electricity.[16] They bought twenty acres (8 ha) of land on
Ruby Ridge in 1983 and began building a cabin;[3]: 5 0–55 the property was in Boundary County on a
hillside on Ruby Creek opposite Caribou Ridge, northwest of nearby Naples.[3]: 7 1
In 1984, Randy Weaver and his neighbor Terry Kinnison had a dispute over a $3,000 land deal. Kinnison
lost the ensuing lawsuit and was ordered to pay Weaver an additional $2,100 in court costs and damages.
Kinnison wrote letters to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Secret Service, and the county
sheriff in which he alleged that Weaver had threatened to kill Pope John Paul II, President Ronald Reagan,
and Idaho Governor John V. Evans.[19]: 2 1, 2 4
In January 1985, the FBI and the Secret Service launched an investigation into allegations that Weaver had
made threats against Reagan and other government and law enforcement officials.[19]: 1 3, 2 2 On February
12, Weaver and his wife were interviewed by two FBI agents, two Secret Service agents, and the
Boundary County sheriff and his chief investigator.[3]: 6 3–65 The Secret Service had been told that Weaver
was a member of Aryan Nations (an antisemitic, neo-Nazi, white supremacist terrorist organization) and
that he had a large weapons cache at his residence. Weaver denied these allegations, and the government
filed no charges.[19]: 1 3, 2 2 On three or four occasions, the Weavers had attended Aryan Nations meetings at
Hayden Lake, where there was a compound for government resisters and white
supremacists/separatists.[20][21]
The investigation noted that Weaver associated with Frank Kumnick, who was known to associate with
members of Aryan Nations. Weaver told the investigators that neither he nor Kumnick was a member of
Aryan Nations but he stated that Kumnick was "associated with The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm
of the Lord."[22] On February 28, Randy and Vicki Weaver filed an affidavit with the county courthouse
alleging that their personal enemies were plotting to provoke the FBI into attacking and killing the Weaver
family.[3]: 6 3–65 On May 6, the Weavers sent President Reagan a letter claiming that their enemies may
have sent Reagan a threatening letter under a forged signature. No evidence of such a letter surfaced, but in
1992, the prosecutor cited the 1985 letter as an overt act of the Weaver family conspiracy against the federal
government.[23][24]
ATF involvement
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) first became aware of Weaver in July 1986, when he
was introduced to a confidential ATF informant at a meeting at the World Aryan Congress. The informant
portrayed himself as a weapons dealer working with motorcycle gangs. Weaver had been invited to the
meeting by Kumnick, the original target of the ATF investigation. It was Weaver's first time at this
Congress. Over the next three years, Weaver and the informant met several times. In July 1989, Weaver
invited the informant to his home to discuss forming a group to fight the "Zionist Organized Government",
referring to the U.S. government.[19]: 1 3, 2 5
In October 1989, the ATF claimed that Weaver sold the informant two sawed-off shotguns, with the overall
length of the guns shorter than the limit set by federal law. In November 1989, Weaver accused the ATF
informant of being a spy for the police; Weaver later wrote he had been warned by "Rico V." [25] The
informant's handler, Herb Byerly, ordered him to have no further contact with Weaver. Eventually, FBI
informant Rico Valentino outed the ATF informant to Aryan Nations security.[3]: 1 12
In June 1990, Byerly attempted to use the sawed-off shotgun charge as leverage to get Weaver to act as an
informant for his investigation into Aryan Nations.[19]: 1 3, 2 2 Weaver refused to become a "snitch", and the
ATF filed the gun charges in June 1990. The ATF alleged that Weaver was a bank robber with criminal
convictions.[26] (Those claims were false: at that time Weaver had no criminal record. The 1995 Senate
investigation found: "Weaver was not a suspect in any bank robberies.")[27] A federal grand jury indicted
Weaver in December 1990 for making and possessing, but not for selling, illegal weapons in October
1989.[19]: 3 4
The ATF concluded it would be too dangerous for agents to arrest Weaver at his property. In January 1991,
ATF agents posed as broken-down motorists and arrested Weaver when he and Vicki stopped to
assist.[19]: 1 3, 2 2 Weaver was told of the charges against him, released on bail, and told that his trial would
begin on February 19, 1991. On January 22, the judge in the case appointed attorney Everett Hofmeister as
Weaver's legal representative. The same day, Weaver called probation officer Karl Richins and told him that
he had been instructed to contact Richins on that date. Richins did not have the case file at that time, so he
asked Weaver to leave his contact information and said he would contact him when he received the
paperwork. According to Richins, Weaver did not give him a telephone number. Hofmeister sent Weaver
letters on January 19, January 31, and February 5, asking Weaver to contact him to work on his defense
within the federal court system.[19]: 3 8
On February 5, the trial date was changed from February 19 to 20 to give participants more travel time
following a federal holiday. The court clerk sent the parties a letter informing them of the date change, but
the notice was not sent directly to Weaver, only to Hofmeister. On February 7, Richins sent Weaver a letter
indicating that he had the case file and needed to talk with Weaver. This letter erroneously said that
Weaver's trial date was March 20.[19]: 3 8 [28] On February 8, Hofmeister again attempted to contact Weaver
by letter informing him that the trial was to begin on February 20 and that Weaver needed to contact him
immediately. Hofmeister also made several calls to individuals who knew Weaver, asking them to have
Weaver call him. Hofmeister told U.S. District Court Judge Harold Lyman Ryan that he had been unable to
reach Weaver before the scheduled court date.[29]
When Weaver did not appear in court on February 20, Ryan issued a bench warrant for failure to appear in
court.[28][19]: 2 On February 26, Ken Keller, a reporter for the Kootenai Valley Times, telephoned the U.S.
Probation Office and asked whether Weaver did not show in court on February 20 because the letter
Richins sent him had an incorrect date. Upon finding a copy of the letter, the Chief Probation Officer,
Terrence Hummel, contacted Ryan's clerk and informed them of the incorrect date in the letter. Hummel
also contacted the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and Weaver's attorney, informing them both of the error.
Judge Ryan, however, refused to withdraw the bench warrant.[30]
The USMS agreed to put off executing the warrant until after March 20 in order to see whether Weaver
would show up in court on that day. If he were to show up on March 20, the Department of Justice claimed
that all indications are that the warrant would have been dropped. But instead, the U.S. Attorney's Office
(USAO) called a grand jury on March 14. The USAO did not inform the grand jury of Richins's letter and
the grand jury issued an indictment for failure to appear.[30]
U.S. Marshals Service involvement

When the Weaver case passed from the ATF to the USMS, no one informed the marshals that the ATF had
attempted to solicit Weaver as an informant.[31]
As the law enforcement arm of the federal court, the USMS were responsible to arrest and bring in Weaver,
now considered a fugitive.[32] Weaver simply stayed in his remote home, threatening to resist any attempt
to take him by force.[33][34]
Weaver was known to have an intense distrust of government. The erroneous Richins letter is believed to
have compounded this sentiment and may have contributed to Weaver's reluctance to appear for trial. He
was suspicious of what he thought were inconsistent messages from the government and his lawyer; he
began to think there was a conspiracy against him.[30] Weaver came to believe that he would not receive a
fair trial if he were to appear in court. His distrust grew even further when Hofmeister erroneously told him
that if he lost the trial, he would lose his land, essentially leaving Vicki homeless, and that the government
would take away his children.[3]: 1 40
USMS officers made a series of attempts to have Weaver surrender peacefully, but he refused to leave his
cabin. Weaver negotiated with U.S. Marshals Ron Evans, W. Warren Mays, and David Hunt through third
parties from March 5 to October 12, 1991, when Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Howen directed that the
negotiations cease.[35] The U.S. Attorney directed that all negotiations go through Hofmeister, but Weaver
refused to talk with him. Marshals began preparing plans to capture Weaver to stand trial on the weapons
charges and his failure to appear at the correct trial date.[36]
Although marshals stopped the negotiations as ordered, they made other contact. On March 4, 1992, U.S.
Marshals Ron Evans and Jack Cluff drove to the Weaver property and spoke with Weaver, posing as real-
estate prospects.[36] At a March 27, 1992, meeting at USMS headquarters, Art Roderick code-named the
operation "Northern Exposure".[3]: 1 51 Surveillance teams were dispatched and cameras set up to record
activity at Weaver's residence. Marshals observed that Weaver and his family responded to vehicles and
other visitors by taking up armed positions around the cabin until the visitors were recognized.[36]
Threat source profile
Beginning in February 1991, the USMS developed a Threat Source Profile on Weaver. Agents' failure to
integrate new information into that profile was criticized in a 1995 report by a subcommittee of the Senate
Judiciary Committee:
The Subcommittee is ... concerned that, as Marshals investigating the Weaver case learned
facts that contradicted information they previously had been provided, they did not adequately
integrate their updated knowledge into their overall assessment of who Randy Weaver was or
what threat he might pose. If the Marshals made any attempt to assess the credibility of the
various people who gave them information about Weaver, they never recorded their
assessments. Thus, rather than maintaining the Threat Source Profile as a living document, the
Marshals added new reports to an ever-expanding file, and their overall assessment never
really changed. These problems rendered it difficult for other law enforcement officials to
assess the Weaver case accurately without the benefit of first-hand briefings from persons who
had continuing involvement with him.[37]: 3 4
Many of the people the USMS used as third party go-betweens on the Weaver case—Bill and Judy Grider,
Alan Jeppeson, and Richard Butler—were assessed by the Marshals as more radical than the Weavers.
When Deputy U.S. Marshal (DUSM) Dave Hunt asked Grider, "Why shouldn't I just go up there ... and
talk to him?", Grider replied, "Let me put it to you this way. If I was sitting on my property and somebody
with a gun comes to do me harm, then I'll probably shoot him."[3]: 1 32
The Subcommittee said that the profile included "a brief psychological profile completed by a person who
had conducted no firsthand interviews and was so unfamiliar with the case that he referred to Weaver as
'Mr. Randall' throughout".[37]: 3 3 A later memo circulated within the Justice Department opined that:
The assumptions of federal and some state and local law enforcement personnel about Weaver
—that he was a Green Beret, that he would shoot on sight anyone who attempted to arrest
him, that he had collected certain types of arms, that he had "booby-trapped" and tunneled his
property—exaggerated the threat he posed.[38]
A review of Weaver's DD-214 in an investigation after the events of Ruby Ridge revealed that Weaver had
never been a Green Beret or a member of the Special Forces; it was possible he had received some general
demolition training as a "combat engineer."[13]
Rivera helicopter incident
Following a flyover by a hired helicopter for Geraldo Rivera's Now It Can Be Told television show on
April 18, 1992, the USMS received media reports that Weaver had shot at the helicopter.[39][40] That day in
Idaho, U.S. Marshals were installing surveillance cameras overlooking the Weaver property.[19]: 3 The field
report for April 18, 1992, filed by Marshal W. Warren Mays, reported seeing a helicopter near the Weaver
property, but not that any shots were heard. In an interview with a Coeur D'Alene newspaper, Weaver
denied that anyone had fired at the helicopter.[41] When interviewed by the FBI, the helicopter pilot
Richard Weiss said that Weaver had not fired on his helicopter. The Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994)
said, when the "indictment [of Weaver] was presented to the grand jury, the prosecution had evidence that
no shots had been fired at the helicopter."[42][43]
Media reports that Weaver had fired on the Rivera helicopter became part of the justification later cited by
U.S. Marshal Wayne "Duke" Smith and FBI HRT Commander Richard Rogers in drawing up the Ruby
Ridge rules of engagement on August 21–22, 1992. Also, in spite of Weiss's repeated denials that shots had
been fired at his helicopter, Howen charged that, as Overt Act 32 of the Weavers' Conspiracy Against the
Federal Government, Randy, Vicki, and Harris fired two shots at the Rivera helicopter.[23]
Operation "Northern Exposure" was suspended for three months due to the confirmation hearings for
United States Marshals Service Director Henry E. Hudson.[3]: 1 58
Encounter near Weaver's cabin

On August 21, 1992, six Marshals were sent to scout the area to determine suitable places away from the
cabin to apprehend and arrest Weaver.[44][45][37]: 3 9 The marshals, dressed in military camouflage, were
equipped with night-vision goggles and M16 rifles.[14][46] DUSMs Art Roderick, Larry Cooper, and
William F. "Bill" Degan formed the reconnaissance team, while DUSMs David Hunt, Joseph Thomas, and
Frank Norris formed an observation post (OP) team on the ridge north of the cabin.[47]
At one point, Roderick threw two rocks at the Weaver cabin to test the dogs' reaction.[48] The action
provoked the dogs; Weaver's friend, Kevin Harris, and Weaver's 14-year-old son, Samuel ("Sammy"),
emerged and followed the dog "Striker" to investigate.[14] Harris and the younger Weaver said that they
were hoping the dog had noticed a game animal as the cabin was out of meat.[49] The recon team
(Roderick, Cooper, and Degan) initially retreated through the woods in radio contact with the OP team, but
later took up hidden defensive positions.[50]
Later, the OP team and the Weavers claimed the dogs were alerted to the recon team in the woods after
neighbors at the foot of the mountain started their pickup truck.[50] The recon team retreated through the
woods to a "Y" junction in the trails 500 yards (460 m) west of the cabin, out of sight of the cabin. Sammy
and Harris followed Striker on foot through the woods while Randy, also on foot, took a separate logging
trail; Vicki, Sara, Rachel, and baby Elisheba remained at the cabin. The OP team were anxious at first, but
then relaxed.[50] Randy encountered the Marshals at the "Y"; Roderick claimed to have yelled, "Back off!
U.S. Marshal!" upon sighting Weaver, and Cooper said he had shouted, "Stop! U.S. Marshal!"[32] By their
account, Sammy and Striker came out of the woods about a minute later. When the Marshals' position was
revealed by the dog "Striker", a yellow Labrador Retriever, DUSM Roderick shot the dog dead.[51] Seeing
this, Sammy Weaver reportedly said to the Marshals, "You've killed my dog, you son of a bitch!", and then
shot in the direction of Roderick. DUSM Cooper then shot towards Sammy Weaver and Kevin Harris, who
both sought cover.[51] Harris, once finding cover behind a tree stump, then returned fire with one unaimed
shot, which eventually killed DUSM William Francis "Bill" Degan.[51] Sammy Weaver, now retreating up
a hill was then shot in the back and killed by DUSM Cooper.[51][3]: 1 63-180
A later ballistics report showed that nineteen rounds were fired during the fight.[52] DUSM Roderick fired
one shot from an M16A1 (which killed "Striker", the dog, by entering his body two inches from the dog's
anus, and exiting the chest), then Sammy fired three from a .223 Ruger Mini-14 (at Roderick), Degan fired
seven from an M16 (at Harris and Weaver, while moving at least 21 feet (6.4 m)), and Cooper fired six
from a 9 mm Colt submachine gun (at Harris and Weaver), Harris then fired two from a .30-06 M1917
Enfield Rifle (striking and killing DUSM Degan).[51][53] After the federal agents began firing, Sammy was
killed by a shot to the back while retreating.[53][14] Harris fired one unaimed shot and killed DUSM
Degan.[53][54]
The origin of the shot that killed Sammy was of critical concern in all investigations. At the time of the
writing of the Ruby Ridge: Report (1996), the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and
Government Information, chaired by Senator Arlen Specter, observed that the government's position at trial
was that Cooper had fired the shot. The Subcommittee engaged additional experts and ultimately declined
to draw a final conclusion.[55] The Justice Department's Ruby Ridge Task Force (RRTF) report to the
Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR, 1994) states:
The evidence suggests, but does not establish, that the shot that killed Sammy Weaver was
fired by DUSM Cooper.
It was concluded there was no indication he intended to kill or injure Weaver.[56][57][58]
Reporter Jess Walter, in his work Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family
concludes that Cooper fired the bullet that killed Sammy Weaver.[3]: 3 90
In 1997, Boundary County Sheriff Greg Sprungl conducted an independent search of the "Y", and his
investigator, Lucien Haag, discovered and confirmed that a bullet found in that search matched DUSM
Cooper's 9 mm Colt submachine gun and contained fibers that matched Sammy's shirt, conclusively
proving DUSM Cooper shot 14-year-old Sammy Weaver in the back as he retreated.[59]
Harris's and the federal agents' accounts differ as to who fired first.[60][61] In the 1993 trial over charges in
Degan's death, prosecutors alleged that Harris had fired the first shot. Harris asserted self-defense and was
acquitted.[62]
On cross-examination by the defense, ballistics experts called by the prosecution testified that the physical
evidence contradicted neither the prosecution's nor the defense's theories of the gunfight.[3]: 3 90 Martin
Fackler testified that Roderick fired the shot or shots that killed Striker, that Degan fired the shot that hit
Sammy in the right elbow, that Harris shot and killed Degan, and that Cooper "probably" shot and killed
Sammy.[3]: 3 90
Roderick and Cooper stated that Striker preceded Harris and Sammy out of the woods. They said Degan
challenged Harris, who turned, shot and fatally wounded Degan before he could fire first. They said
Roderick shot the dog once, Sammy fired twice at Roderick, and Roderick returned fire. Roderick and
Cooper testified that they heard multiple gunshots from the Weaver party. Cooper testified that he fired two
three-shot bursts at Harris and saw Harris fall "like a sack of potatoes" with leaves flying up in front of him,
presumably from the impact of a round. Cooper sought cover. He testified that he saw Sammy run away
and radioed OP team member Dave Hunt that he had wounded or killed Harris.[63]
As described by Randy and Sara Weaver, in their book The Federal Siege (1998), Harris's version of
events differed, as follows.[64] Harris told them Striker was followed out of the woods by Sammy and
Harris, and that the dog ran up to Cooper. He said the dog ran to Roderick, who shot it in front of Sammy.
Sammy yelled, "You shot my dog, you son of a bitch!", and fired a shot at Roderick.[65] Harris said that
Degan came out of the woods and shot Sammy in the arm. Harris fired and hit Degan in the chest.
According to the Weavers, Harris said that Cooper fired at Harris, who ducked for cover, and Cooper fired
again, hitting Sammy in the back, who fell. Harris fired about 6 feet (2 m) in front of Cooper, forcing him to
take cover. Only then did he hear Cooper identify himself as a U.S. Marshal. Harris said he checked
Sammy and found him dead, and ran to the Weavers' cabin.[66]
After the firefight at the "Y", Hunt and Thomas went to a neighbor's house to call for assistance from the
USMS Crisis Center. Norris, Cooper, and Roderick stayed with Degan's body at the "Y". Randy and Vicki
went to the "Y" and retrieved Sammy's body. Randy, Vicki and Harris placed the body in a guest cabin
near the main cabin.[67][68] From 11:15 a.m. onward, Hunt reported to the Crisis Center in Washington,
D.C., that no further gunfire was heard.[69]
Siege and controversy

In the aftermath of the gunfight on August 21 at 11:20 am PDT, DUSM Hunt[69] requested immediate
support from Idaho law enforcement,[70]: 5 18 and he also alerted the FBI by notifying it that a Marshal had
been killed.[69] Following Hunt's phone call, the Marshals Service Crisis Center was activated under the
direction of Duke Smith, associate director for Operations. The Marshals Service Special Operations Group
(SOG) was alerted to deploy.[70]: 5 18 In response to the USMS call, the Boundary County sheriff's office
mobilized.[71] Also in response to the USMS request, Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus declared a state of
emergency in Boundary County, allowing use of the Idaho National Guard Armory at Bonners Ferry and,
after an initial delay, to use National Guard armored personnel carriers (APCs).[72] Soon thereafter, the
Idaho State Police arrived at the scene.[71]
FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, responded by sending the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) from
Quantico to Idaho. Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Eugene Glenn of the Salt Lake City FBI office was
appointed Site Commander with responsibility for all active individuals from the FBI, ATF, and
USMS.[70]: 5 19 A stand-off ensued for eleven days, as several hundred federal agents surrounded the
house,[73] and negotiations for a surrender were attempted.[70]: 5 21
Special ROE and sniper/observer deployment
By Saturday, August 22, special rules of engagement (ROE) were drafted and approved by FBI
Headquarters and the Marshal Service for use on Ruby Ridge.[70]: 5 20 According to the later RRTF report
to the DOJ (1994), the Ruby Ridge ROE were as follows:
1. "If any adult in the area around the cabin is observed with a weapon after the surrender
announcement had been made, deadly force could and should be used to neutralize the
individual."
2. "If any adult male is observed with a weapon prior to the announcement deadly force can
and should be employed if the shot could be taken without endangering any children."
3. "If compromised by any dog the dog can be taken out."
4. "Any subjects other than Randy Weaver, Vicki Weaver, Kevin Harris presenting threat of
death or grievous bodily harm FBI rules of deadly force apply. Deadly force can be utilized to
prevent the death or grievous bodily injury to oneself or that of another."
(From the sworn statement of FBI SAC Eugene Glenn).[74]
As noted in a footnote to the report in this crucial section:
The [ROE] was modified from "adult" to "adult male" [in ROE point 2] to exclude Vicki
Weaver around 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. after consultation with [SAC Eugene] Glenn because Vicki
Weaver was not seen at the site of Degan's slaying.[75]
The ROE were communicated to agents on site, including communication to HRT sniper/observers prior to
deployment, communications that included the change of "adult" to "adult male" to exclude Vicki
Weaver.[75] Some deployed FBI agents, in particular the sniper/observers, would later describe the adopted
ROE as a "green light" to "shoot on sight".[76]
On Wednesday, August 26, four days after Vicki was killed, the ROE that had been in effect since the
arrival of the HRT were revoked. Per Glenn's direction, the FBI's Standard Deadly Force Policy replaced
the ROE to guide the law enforcement personnel that were to be deployed to the cabin perimeter. The FBI
rules of deadly force in effect in 1992 stated that:
Agents are not to use deadly force against any person except as necessary in self-defense or
the defense of another, when they have reason to believe that they or another are in danger of
death or grievous bodily harm. Whenever feasible, verbal warnings should be given before
deadly force is applied.
This was in stark contrast to the permissive ROE adopted for the Ruby Ridge stand-off.[77][78]
Deployment of sniper/observers, ROE understanding
On August 22, the second day of the siege, between 2:30–⁠3:30 pm, the FBI HRT sniper/observer teams
were briefed and deployed to the cabin on foot.[70]: 5 20
According to the RRTF report to the DOJ, there were various views and interpretations taken of these
ROEs by members of FBI SWAT teams in action at the Ruby Ridge site. Denver SWAT team leader
Gregory Sexton described them as "severe" and "inappropriate." Two members of the Denver SWAT team
said they were "strong" and a "departure from the ... standard deadly force policy", "inappropriate", and of
a sort one "had never been given" before. The latter of these two members said that "other SWAT team
members were taken aback by the Rules and that most of them clung to the FBI's standard deadly force
policy." Another team member responded to the briefing on the ROE with "[y]ou've gotta be kidding."[79]
But most of the FBI HRT sniper/observers accepted the ROE as modifying the deadly force policy.
According to later interviews, HRT sniper Dale Monroe saw the ROE as a "green light" to shoot armed
adult males on sight, and HRT sniper Edward Wenger believed that if he observed armed adults, he could
use deadly force, but he was to follow standard deadly force policy for all other individuals. Fred Lanceley,
the FBI Hostage Negotiator at Ruby Ridge, was "surprised and shocked" at the ROE, the most severe rules
he had heard in more than 300 hostage situations. He later characterized the ROE as being inconsistent
with standard policy.[80][81] The 1996 Senate report criticized the ROE as "virtual shoot-on-sight
orders."[37]: 6 1
Sniper shoots: R. Weaver is wounded, V. Weaver is killed
Before the negotiators arrived at the cabin, FBI sniper Lon Horiuchi, from a position over 200 yards
(180 m) north and above the Weaver cabin,[82] shot and wounded Randy Weaver in the back with the
bullet exiting his right armpit, while he was lifting the latch on the shed to visit the body of his dead son.[83]
(The sniper testified at the later trial that he had put his crosshairs on Weaver's spine, but Weaver moved at
the last second.[84]) As Weaver, his 16-year-old daughter Sara,[85] and Harris ran back toward the house,
Horiuchi fired a second bullet, wounding Harris in the chest. This bullet killed Vicki Weaver, who was
standing behind the door in the cabin where Harris entered.[86] Vicki was holding the Weavers' 10-month-
old baby Elisheba.[85][87][88]
Constitutionality of the second shot
The RRTF report to the DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) of June 1994 stated
unequivocally in conclusion (in its executive summary) that the rules that allowed the second shot to have
been made did not satisfy constitutional standards for legal use of deadly force.[89] The 1996 report of the
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Government Information,
Arlen Specter [R-PA], chair, concurred, with Senator Dianne Feinstein [D-CA] dissenting.[90] The RRTF
report said that the lack of a request by the marshals to the Weavers to surrender was "inexcusable."[91]
Harris and the two Weavers were not believed to be an imminent threat (since they were reported as
running for cover without returning fire).[37]: 8 9
The later Justice task force criticized Horiuchi for firing through the door, when he did not know if anyone
was on the other side of it.[91] While there is a dispute as to who approved the rules of engagement which
Horiuchi followed, the task force condemned the rules of engagement that allowed shots to be fired without
a request for surrender.[91][83]
Situational reevaluation, ROE is suspended, the siege ends
The FBI's HQ and the Site Commanders in Idaho both re-evaluated the situation based on information
about what had happened on August 21 which they were receiving from U.S. Marshals Hunt, Cooper and
Roderick. On August 23, repeated attempts to negotiate with Weaver via a bullhorn failed; there was no
response from the cabin.[70]: 5 20
On about Monday, August 24, the fourth day of the siege, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Danny Coulson,
who did not know that Vicki Weaver had been killed,[92] wrote a memo with the following content:
Something to Consider
1. Charge against Weaver is Bull S___.

2. No one saw Weaver do any shooting.
3. Vicki has no charges against her.
4. Weaver's defense. He ran down the hill to see what dog was barking at. Some guys in
camys [camouflage] shot his dog. Started shooting at him. Killed his son. Harris did the
shooting. He is in pretty strong legal position.[37]: 5 6
The stand-off was ultimately resolved by civilian negotiators including Bo Gritz, to whom Weaver agreed
to speak.[70]: 5 21 Through Gritz's mediation, Harris, who had earlier urged Weaver to end his suffering,
surrendered on August 30 (Sunday). He was removed via stretcher, and then he was flown by an Air Force
medical evacuation helicopter to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.[93][94][95] Weaver allowed the
removal of his wife's body, which Gritz oversaw.[93][94][95]
The FBI HRT Commander gave Gritz a deadline to get the remaining Weavers to surrender, and if they did
not surrender on the day of the deadline, he said he would resolve the standoff by launching a tactical
assault.[96] Weaver and his daughters surrendered the next day; both Harris and Weaver were arrested.[97]
Harris was in serious condition at Sacred Heart, but U.S. Marshals did not allow his parents to see him (or
talk by telephone) until Monday evening, after a federal court order was issued.[98] Weaver's daughters
were released to the custody of relatives. Federal officials considered charging Sara, who was 16, as an
adult.[99]
Weaver was transferred by military helicopter to the airport at Sandpoint and from there he was flown by
USMS jet to Boise. There he was given a brief medical examination at St. Luke's Medical Center. He was
held at the Ada County jail and arraigned in federal court the following day, Tuesday,
September 1.[100][101]
Trials of Weaver and Harris

Weaver and Harris were charged with a variety of offenses;[97][102] their trial in U.S. District Court in
Boise began in April 1993,[103][104] and it was presided over by Judge Edward Lodge.[28][105][106] In
mid-June, Weaver's defense attorney, Gerry Spence, rested his case without calling any witnesses for the
defense. Instead, he sought to convince the jury through cross-examination which was aimed at discrediting
the government's evidence and witnesses.[106][107][108][109] In July, Weaver was ultimately acquitted of all
of the charges except the charge which he incurred after he missed his original court date and the charge of
violating his bail conditions,[110][111] for which he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and fined
$10,000 in October.[2][112][113] Credited with time served and good behavior, Weaver served less than 16
months and he was released from the Canyon County jail in Caldwell in mid-December.[114][115]
Harris was defended by attorney David Nevin and he was acquitted of all of the charges.[62][110][111]
Exactly five years after the incident (August 21, 1997), he was indicted for the first-degree murder of
DUSM Bill Degan by Boundary County prosecutor Denise Woodbury,[116][117][118][119] but the charge
was dismissed in early October on grounds of double jeopardy, because he had been acquitted of the same
charge in the federal criminal trial in 1993.[3]: 3 89ff [120][121]
Federal investigations of law enforcement

Defense counsels for Weaver and Harris alleged throughout their 1993 trial that agents of the ATF, USMS,
and FBI were themselves guilty of serious wrongdoing. The Department of Justice (DOJ) created the Ruby
Ridge Task Force (RRTF) to investigate events. It delivered a 542-page report on June 10, 1994, to the
DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).[122][123] (This RRTF report, originally available in a
highly redacted form,[123] later became available in a much more complete form.[122])
Questions persisted about Ruby Ridge and the subsequent Waco siege, which involved the same agencies
and many of the same officials. The Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Government
Information held fourteen days of hearings on these incidents and allegations of misconduct, ending on
October 19, 1995.[124] The hearings were televised on C-SPAN.[125] The internal 1994 Ruby Ridge Task
Force Report and the public 1995 Senate subcommittee report on Ruby Ridge both criticized the rules of
engagement by claiming that they were unconstitutional.[89][90]
A 1995 GAO investigation was conducted on the policies regarding use of force by federal law
enforcement agencies. Its report said: "In October 1995, Treasury and Justice adopted use of deadly force
policies to standardize the various policies their component agencies had adopted over the years."[126] The
major change was that agencies required a law enforcement agent to have reasonable belief of an
"imminent" danger of death or serious physical injury in order to use deadly force. This brought all federal
LEA deadly force policies in line with the U.S. Supreme Court rulings Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1, 18
(1985) and Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989), which applied to state and local law enforcement
agencies.[127]
In 1997, Michael Kahoe, the chief of the FBI's violent crimes section, pled guilty to obstruction of justice
for destroying a report which was critical of the agency's role at Ruby Ridge. He was sentenced to 18
months and a $4,000 fine.[128]
Civil suits
Randy Weaver and his daughters filed a wrongful death suit for $200 million which was related to the
killing of his wife and son. In an out-of-court settlement in August 1995, the federal government awarded
Randy Weaver $100,000 and it also awarded $1 million to each of his three daughters. The government did
not admit that it had committed any wrongdoing in relation to the deaths of Sammy and Vicki.[129][130] On
the condition of anonymity, a DOJ official told The Washington Post that he believed that the Weavers
would have probably won the full amount if the case had gone to trial.[54]
The attorney for Harris pressed Harris's civil suit for damages, but federal officials vowed that they would
never pay someone who had killed a U.S. Marshal. In September 2000, Harris was awarded a $380,000
settlement by the government.[3]: 3 82f
State criminal charges

In 1997, Boundary County prosecutor Denise Woodbury indicted FBI HRT sniper Lon Horiuchi for
manslaughter on state charges, just before the statute of limitations for this crime expired.[117][119][131] She
appointed a special prosecutor to conduct the case. But in 1998 the trial was removed to federal court
because Horiuchi had been acting in the line of duty as a federal law enforcement officer. Judge Lodge
quickly dismissed the case on grounds of sovereign immunity.[14][132][133]
The decision to dismiss charges was reversed (6–5) in 2001 by an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit,
which held that enough uncertainty about the facts of the case existed for Horiuchi to stand trial on state
manslaughter charges.[134][135][136] Boundary County prosecutor Brett Benson, who had defeated
Woodbury in the May 2000 primary and won the November election,[137] decided to drop the case. He
said he believed that it was unlikely the state could prove the criminal charges, and too much time had
passed.[138][139] He also believed his decision would enable the process of healing in the county. Attorney
Stephen Yagman, who had been appointed as the special prosecutor, said that he vehemently disagreed with
the decision. He suggested that the case could still be prosecuted if the Boundary County prosecutor later
changed again.[140]
Later life of the Weavers

Randy Weaver and his daughter, Sara, wrote The Federal Siege at Ruby Ridge (1998), about the incident,
which was published in paperback.[141]
The Weaver family, including Randy, later moved to Kalispell, Montana. Sara and the other two Weaver
daughters are employed there. In 2012, after she became a born again Christian, Sara Weaver said that she
forgives the federal agents who killed her mother and brother.[142]
Randy Weaver died on May 11, 2022, at the age of 74.[143]
Domestic terrorism
American domestic terrorists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols claimed that their desire for revenge for
the federal government's poor handling of the Ruby Ridge and Waco sieges motivated them to perpetrate
the Oklahoma City bombing. On April 19, 1995, the second anniversary of the fire that ended the Waco
siege, they detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building during business hours.
168 people were killed and 680 people were injured, mostly US government employees. 19 of the victims
were babies and children, many in the building's day-care center. The effects of the blast were equivalent to
over 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) of TNT, and could be heard and felt up to 55 miles (89 km) away; over a
third of the building was destroyed.[144]
In popular culture
A CBS miniseries about the Ruby Ridge incident, titled Ruby Ridge: An American Tragedy, aired on May
19 and 21, 1996.[145] It was based on the book Every Knee Shall Bow by reporter Jess Walter.[78] It starred
Laura Dern as Vicki, Kirsten Dunst as Sara, and Randy Quaid as Randy.[14] Later that year the television
series was adapted as a full-length TV movie, The Siege at Ruby Ridge.[146]
In 1999, bluegrass musician Peter Rowan addressed the events at Ruby Ridge in his song "The Ballad of
Ruby Ridge".[147]
Ruby Ridge was the subject of Criminal Minds, Season Three, episode 7, "Identity" (2007). Agent David
Rossi says that he was at Ruby Ridge during the siege.
In 2017, it was the focus of the 323rd episode of American Experience, the 5th episode of its 29th season.
The standoff, including the shooting of Vicki Weaver, is featured in the first episode of the Paramount
Network television miniseries Waco (2018).
Tara Westover, in her memoir Educated (2018), referred to this incident, noting her own family's
preparations to defend their isolated home against a potential siege by "the Feds".
The Ruby Ridge incident was the subject of the first season of the narrative podcast series Slate Presents.
The four-episode season, titled Standoff: What Happened at Ruby Ridge? ran as a stand-alone miniseries
hosted by journalist Ruth Graham.[148]
In 2020, the incident was featured in a season of Fox Nation's Scandalous.[149]
See also
United States
portal
Politics portal
1990s portal
2003 standoff in Abbeville, South Carolina

American militia movement
Branch Davidians
Christian fundamentalism
Christian Identity
Christian Patriot movement
Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG)
Far-right subcultures
Leonard Peltier
List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States
Michigan Militia
Militia of Montana
Montana Freemen
Northwest Territorial Imperative
Oklahoma City bombing, inspired by Ruby Ridge
Rainbow Farm
Bundy standoff
Sagebrush Rebellion
Shannon Street massacre
Singer-Swapp Standoff (1988)
Waco siege
Bibliography
Primary sources
Ruby Ridge Task Force (June 10, 1994). Report of the Ruby Ridge Task Force to the Office
of Professional Responsibility [OPR] of Investigation of Allegations of Improper
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Weaver and Kevin L. Harris [most complete version] (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/
ftrials/weaver/dojruby1.html) (Report). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
Chapters and sections cited from this work include:
I. Introduction / Executive Summary
§B. Significant Findings.
IV. Specific Issues Investigated
§B. The Failure of Weaver to Appear for Trial (2. Statement of Facts,
subsection c.; or passim);
§C. Efforts by the Marshals Service to Effect the Arrest of Weaver (2.
Statement of Facts, subsections a., g.);
§D. Marshals Service Activities Between August 17 and 21, 1992 (2.
Statement of Facts, subsection c.; 3. Discussion, subsections a., c.; 4.
Conclusion; or passim)
§F. FBI's Rules of Engagement and Operations on August 21 and 22, 1992
(2. Statement of Facts, subsections a.-g.; 3. Discussion, subsection a; or
passim);
§H. Law Enforcement Operations at Ruby Ridge From August 22, 1992
Until August 31, 1992 (2. Statement of Facts, subsection b.); and
§L. Scope of the Indictment and Alleged Prosecutorial Misconduct Before
the Grand Jury (passim).
VI. Chronology of Events (passim).

Note, other nearly identical sources of the same content are available online, e.g., differing
only in terms of header or introductory content.
Ridge Task Force (November 9, 2006 rel.) [June 10, 1994].Report of the Ruby Ridge Task
Force to the Office of Professional Responsibility [OPR] of Investigation of Allegations of
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Randall C. Weaver and Kevin L. Harris [OPR legacy, highly redacted version].
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(1996). Ruby Ridge: Report of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and
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Collingdale, PA, ISBN 978-0788129766.
Chapters and sections cited from this work include:
Introduction
B. United States Marshal Service
§ 5. August 21, 1992 Firefight (subsections a.–c.)
D. Federal Bureau of Investigation
§ 4. Two Shots Taken by Sniper/Observer on August 22, 1992 (subsection

c.)
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References and notes

1. "Ruby Ridge | History, Facts, Aftermath, & Map | Britannica" (https://www.britannica.com/eve
nt/Ruby-Ridge).
2. "18 Months in Jail for White Supremacist" (https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/19/us/18-month
s-in-jail-for-supremacist.html). The New York Times. October 19, 1993. Retrieved July 22,
2017.
3. Walter, Jess (2002). Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family (1st
trade pbk. ed.). New York: ReganBooks. ISBN 978-0060007942.
4. "Opening Statement of Louis J. Freeh, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation" (https://fas.o
rg/irp/congress/1995_hr/s951019f.htm#reforms%20subsequent). fas.org. October 19, 1995.
Retrieved July 22, 2017.
5. "F.B.I. Agent to Be Tried In Federal Court" (https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9
403E0DF1339F930A25752C0A96E958260). The New York Times. January 13, 1998.
Retrieved June 26, 2007.
6. Verhovek, Sam Howe (June 15, 2001). "F.B.I. Agent to Be Spared Prosecution in Shooting"
(https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE2DA1731F936A25755C0A9679C8
B63). The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
7. Idaho v. Horiuchi, 266 (https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1430138.html) (9th Cir.
June 5, 2001).
8. Niebuhr, Gustav (April 26, 1995). "Terror in Oklahoma: Religion; Assault on Waco Sect Fuels
Extremists' Rage" (https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/26/us/terror-in-oklahoma-religion-assa
ult-on-waco-sect-fuels-extremists-rage.html). The New York Times. Archived (https://web.arc
hive.org/web/20180818084226/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/26/us/terror-in-oklahoma-r
eligion-assault-on-waco-sect-fuels-extremists-rage.html) from the original on August 18,
2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
9. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ruby Ridge (https://edits.n
ationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/summary/389713)
10. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Caribou Ridge (https://edit
s.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/summary/378929)
11. Schlater, Evelyn A. (2006). Aryan Cowboys: White Supremacists and the Search for a New
Frontier, 1970-2000.
12. Anderson, Hal E. (1968), Sundance Fire: An Analysis of Fire Phenomena, Research Paper,
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13. "DOJR - IV. Specific Issues Investigated (Part A)" (https://www.famous-trials.com/rubyridge/1
124-bureauinvestigation). www.famous-trials.com. Department of Justice. Retrieved May 18,
2023. "Hunt and Mays also reviewed a copy of the military record "DD-214" for Weaver.
Although the record did not indicate that Weaver had been a Green Beret or a member of the
Special Forces, they speculated that Weaver may have received some general demolition
training based on an indication in the record that Weaver had training as a combat
engineer."
14. Suprynowicz, Vin (1999). "The Courtesan Press, Eager Lapdogs to Tyranny [Ch. 6]". Send
in the Waco Killers: Essays on the Freedom Movement, 1993–1998 (https://books.google.co
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Learning Channel [TLC]. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
16. "Ruby Ridge, Part One: Suspicion" (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/
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17. Lief, Michael S.; Caldwell, H. Mitchell (2007). The Devil's Advocates: Greatest Closing
Arguments in Criminal Law (https://books.google.com/books?id=sf9KCPObEAYC&q=vicki%
20weaver%201978%20apocalypse&pg=PT156). Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-
1416571865.
18. Hull, Anne (April 30, 2001). "Randy Weaver's Return From Ruby Ridge" (https://www.washin
gtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/04/30/randy-weavers-return-from-ruby-ridge/946b58c3-2
d46-4df0-9b06-f5ca7c562d09/). The Washington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
19. "Report of the Ruby Ridge Task Force" (https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opr/legacy/
2006/11/09/rubyreportcover_39.pdf) (PDF). justice.gov. June 10, 1994. Retrieved
January 24, 2022.
20. Egan, Timothy. (p. 3, August 30, 1992). [1] (https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/30/Weekinrevi
ew/the-Nation-Hate-Groups-Hanging-on-in-Idaho-Haven.html) Archived (https://web.archive.
org/web/20160313023543/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/30/Weekinreview/the-Nation-H
ate-Groups-Hanging-on-in-Idaho-Haven.html) March 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
The New York Times.
21. Siegler, Kirk. “How What Happened 25 Years Ago At Ruby Ridge Still Matters Today.” NPR,
18 Aug. 2017.
22. "The Shooting at Ruby Ridge" (http://www.byington.org/carl/ruby/ruby4.1.htm). byington.org.
23. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), §IV.L., pp. 325–377.
24. "The Shooting at Ruby Ridge" (http://www.byington.org/carl/ruby/ruby4.11.htm).
byington.org. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
25. Weaver & Weaver, The Federal Siege (1998), p. 29.
26. Quarles, Chester L. (2004). Christian Identity: The Aryan American Bloodline Religion (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=r5BzY2eeyngC&pg=PA161). McFarland. p. 161. ISBN 978-
0786481484.
27. Parker, R. J. (2012). Top Cases of The FBI (https://books.google.com/books?id=ZqvZBQAA
QBAJ&pg=PT49). Rj Parker Publishing, Inc.
28. "Weaver's lawyers say warrant was invalid – court clerk testifies that suspect was given
wrong date" (https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19930423&slug=1697496).
Seattle Times. Associated Press. April 23, 1993. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
29. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §B.2.c., p. 44f. [Quote:] "On February
20, Howen and defense counsel Hofmeister appeared before the U.S. district court judge
Harold L. Ryan. At that time, Hofmeister told the court that he had been unable to contact
Weaver."
31. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §B.2.b.(2), pp. 40–43. [Quote:]
"Indeed, it was not until over a year later that the marshals learned of this action."
32. "Every Knee Shall Bow" (http://www.newsweek.com/every-knee-shall-bow-182430).
Newsweek. August 27, 1995. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
33. "Feds Have Fugitive 'Under Our Nose' ". Spokesman Review. Spokane, WA: A19. March 1,
1992.
34. "Marshals Know He's There But Leave Fugitive Alone" (https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/1
3/us/marshals-know-he-s-there-but-leave-fugitive-alone.html) (print and online publication).
The New York Times: A14. March 13, 1992. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
35. "The Shooting at Ruby Ridge" (http://www.byington.org/carl/ruby/ruby6.htm). byington.org.
37. U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism Technology and Government [Arlen Specter, Chair]
(1996). Ruby Ridge: Report of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Government
Information of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary (https://books.google.com/books?id=U
Oy-7sG5CVEC) (Report). Diane Publishing. ISBN 978-0788129766. Retrieved January 24,
2022.
38. Memorandum by Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, dated April 5, 1995, cited in U.S.
Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism Ruby Ridge: Report (1996), p. 35.
40. Morlin, Bill (April 23, 1992). "Helicopter shot at near fugitive's cabin" (https://news.google.co
m/newspapers?id=2lxWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6614%2C1355554). Spokesman-Review.
(Spokane, Washington). p. B1.
41. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §C.2.g.(2), footnote 246, pp. 78–80.
42. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §L.3.a., and footnote 1196, pp. 359-
365.
43. Quoting footnote 1196 in its entirety, cited in the preceding: Only one of the four people in the
helicopter thought he heard shots; the other three heard nothing of [sic.] were certain that the
helicopter had not taken fire. A photographer in the helicopter saw someone gesture at the helicopter
and thought he heard two shots on a boom microphone. [Report references for the foregoing
statement,] FD-302 Interview of Dave Marlin, September 16, 1992. However, another passenger said
that no shots has been fired and that "it would have been 'grossly unfair' to accuse the Weavers of
shooting." [Report references for the foregoing statement,] FD-302 Interview of Richard Weiss,
September 11 & 18, 1992, at 1–2; see FD-302 Interview of Brooke Skulski, September 28, 1992.
Weaver denied that shots had been fired at the helicopter. [Report references for the foregoing
statement,] "Fugitive: No Surrender," Coeur D'Alene Press, May 3, 1992, at 1. Deputy property [sic.,
text presumed omitted] on the day of the alleged shooting, but was unaware of any evidence that shots
had been fired. See Report of Investigation by Mays, April 18, 1992.
44. Wiley, John K. (August 22, 1992). "U.S. deputy marshal gunned down" (https://news.google.
com/newspapers?id=-p9fAAAAIBAJ&pg=4047%2C1707314). Lewiston Morning Tribune.
(Idaho). Associated Press. p. 1A.
45. Wiley, John (August 24, 1992). "Marshal murdered on the run" (https://news.google.com/new
spapers?id=G7wjAAAAIBAJ&pg=4608%2C861948). Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-
Washington). Associated Press. p. 1A.
46. McCabe, Scott. "Crime History – Marshals descend on Ruby Ridge" (http://www.washington
examiner.com/crime-history-marshals-descend-on-ruby-ridge/article/92947). Washington
Examiner. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
47. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §D.2.c.(2), p. 112.
48. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §D.3.a.(4), p. 121.
49. Bock, Alan W. (1993). "Ambush at Ruby Ridge" (http://reason.com/archives/1993/10/01/amb
ush-at-ruby-ridge). Reason (October). Retrieved February 8, 2017. "[Subtitle:] How
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50. Parker, R. J. (2012). Top Cases of The FBI (https://books.google.com/books?id=ZqvZBQAA
QBAJ&pg=PT51). Rj Parker Publishing, Inc.
51. U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Ruby Ridge: Report (1996), pp. 38–49.
52. Albright, Syd (September 14, 2014). "Idaho's tragedy at Ruby Ridge" (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20171021220854/http://www.cdapress.com/archive/article-44130b08-6a05-582f-b64d
-839d98c45aa8.html). Archived from the original (http://www.cdapress.com/archive/article-44
130b08-6a05-582f-b64d-839d98c45aa8.html) on October 21, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
53. Worthington, Rogers (August 6, 1995). "Next Siege Probe For Congress: Idaho" (http://articl
es.chicagotribune.com/1995-08-06/news/9508060272_1_randy-weaver-ruby-ridge-vicki-we
aver/2). tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
54. Lynch, Tim (August 21, 2002). "Remember Ruby Ridge" (https://www.cato.org/publications/c
ommentary/remember-ruby-ridge) (online). National Review. Retrieved February 7, 2017 –
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55. U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Ruby Ridge: Report (1996), Ch. B. § 5.b., pp. 46f.
56. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §D.3.c. and 4., pp. 125–127.
57. Quoting from the RRTF report cited in the preceding. From subsection 3.c.:"Although it is not
our intention to speculate, the evidence, though not conclusive, certainly suggests that the shot that
killed Sammy came from Cooper's .9mm weapon. We have found no evidence that Cooper, or any of
the marshals, intentionally sought to kill or injure Sammy Weaver. / Cooper said that he purposely fired
three shots at Harris, after Harris shot Degan and appeared to be preparing to fire at Degan again. ...
Cooper next fired a second three-round burst, in the direction from which he had received fire, as
cover in an effort to reach Degan. He said this burst was not directed at a specific target. It is possible
that Sammy may have been mortally wounded at that time. / Sammy Weaver was shot during a
firefight in which he was a participant. There is no proof, and we do not conclude, that Cooper
intentionally aimed the fatal shot at Sammy Weaver. Indeed, the record demonstrates that the
marshals went to great lengths in preparing for their mission to avoid endangering the Weaver
children."
58. Quoting from the RRTF report cited in the preceding. From subsection subsection 4., "We are
unable to determine who initiated the gunfire at the Y on August 21. The evidence suggests, but does
not establish, that the shot that killed Sammy Weaver was fired by DUSM Cooper. Assuming that to be
so, we find that there was no intent on the part of Cooper or any of the other marshals to harm Sammy
Weaver. We also find that the marshals did not attempt to conceal the shooting of Sammy Weaver
since they were unaware that Sammy Weaver had even been injured."
59. Morlin, Bill (October 23, 1997). "Marshal Killed Weaver's Son At Ruby Ridge Tests Confirm
Bullet Came From Federal Agent's Gun, Says Sheriff" (http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1
997/oct/23/marshal-killed-weavers-son-at-ruby-ridge-tests/). Spokesman.com. Retrieved
July 22, 2017.
60. Goodman, Barak (February 14, 2017). "Ruby Ridge" (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanex
perience/films/ruby-ridge/). American Experience. Season 29. Episode 6. Event occurs at
24:30. PBS. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
61. Lohr, David (2003). "Randy Weaver: Siege at Ruby Ridge [23 Chapters]" (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20031206161506/http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/cops_others/ra
ndy_weaver/). Court TV's Crime Library. New York: American Lawyer Media. p. 12. Archived
from the original (http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/cops_others/randy_weave
r/) on December 6, 2003. Retrieved February 8, 2017 – via CrimeLibrary.com.
62. Egan, Timothy (July 9, 1993). "Rebuking the U.S., Jury Acquits 2 In Marshal's Killing in
Idaho Siege" (https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/09/us/rebuking-the-us-jury-acquits-2-in-mar
shal-s-killing-in-idaho-siege.html?pagewanted=all). The New York Times. Retrieved
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63. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §D., pp. 96–127.
64. Weaver & Weaver, The Federal Siege (1998). Book-length source cited without page
number or chapter, so content appearing at these footnoted locations is not yet traceable to
this source.
66. "Ruby Ridge Figure Disputes U.S. Marshals" (https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/27/us/ruby-r
idge-figure-disuptes-us-marshals.html). The New York Times. September 27, 1995.
67. Martin, Rachel (January 31, 2016). "The Federal Response To Oregon Occupation May
Have Roots In Ruby Ridge" (https://www.npr.org/2016/01/31/465000760/the-federal-respons
e-to-oregon-occupation-may-have-roots-in-ruby-ridge). NPR.org. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
68. Vohryzek, Miki; Olson-Raymer, Gayle; Whamond, Jeffery O. (2001). Domestic Terrorism and
Incident Management: Issues and Tactics (https://books.google.com/books?id=jfBwCQAAQ
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p. 175. ISBN 978-0398083083.
70. "Report of the Ruby Ridge Task Force" (https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opr/legacy/
2006/11/09/rubyreport517_545.pdf) (PDF). justice.gov. June 10, 1994. Retrieved
January 24, 2022.
71. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §E.2.a., pp. 128–131. US Border
Patrol agents were among the respondents at Ruby Ridge, according to USMS Crisis
Center logs, see footnote 454. Quote: By this time, agents from the U.S. Border Patrol, the
Boundary County Sheriff's Office, and the Idaho State Police had reached the scene ...
72. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §H.2.b., p. 235.
73. "Ruby Ridge standoff: A timeline" (http://www.spokesman.com/picture-stories/20-years-ago-r
uby-ridge-standoff/). Spokesman.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
74. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §F.2.b., text before footnote 553, and
again after footnote 714 (the latter of which corresponds to this numbered list); at pp. 163–
172.
75. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §F.2.b., footnote 553, in pp. 163–172.
76. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §F., pp. 155–228.
77. Lardner Jr, George; Lei, Richard (July 14, 1995). "Permissive Rules of Engagement' at Issue
in Ruby Ridge Shooting" (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/07/14/perm
issive-rules-of-engagement-at-issue-in-ruby-ridge-shooting/41005d73-b0cd-4104-ac25-e6b
02d27e734/). The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
78. Walter, Jess (1996) [1995]. Every Knee Shall Bow: The Truth and Tragedy of Ruby Ridge
and the Randy Weaver Family (https://archive.org/details/everykneeshallbo00walt). New
York: HarperPaperbacks. p. 190 (https://archive.org/details/everykneeshallbo00walt/page/19
0). ISBN 0061011312. Retrieved February 7, 2017. The link to this title is to the 1996 edition.
79. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §F.2.c., from footnote 614 to 616, pp.
173–183.
80. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §F.2.a.–g., pp. 156–193.
81. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §F.3.a., pp. 200–208.
82. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. IV., §F.2.f., p. 188.
83. Witkin, Gordon (September 11, 1995). "The Nightmare of Idaho's Ruby Ridge" (https://web.a
rchive.org/web/20170211082435/http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9509127523/ni
ghtmare-idahos-ruby-ridge). U.S. News & World Report. 119 (10): 24. Archived from the
original (http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9509127523/nightmare-idahos-ruby-ridg
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84. Spence, Gerry (2015). Police State: How America's Cops Get Away with Murder (https://book
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85. Hewitt, Bill; Nelson, Margaret; Haederle, Michael; Slavin, Barbara (September 25, 1995). "A
Time to Heal" (http://people.com/archive/a-time-of-heal-vol-45-no-13/). People. 45 (13).
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86. Morganthau, Tom; Isikoff, Michael; Cohn, Bob (August 28, 1995). "The Echoes of Ruby
Ridge" (http://www.newsweek.com/echoes-ruby-ridge-182402). Newsweek: 25–28.
Retrieved February 8, 2017. The trio of authors appearing in this citation are absent on the
linked webpage, but are added because this work is cited in a variety of other sources. E.g.,
see citation [1] in Wessinger, Catherine (January 13, 1998). "How the Millennium Comes
Violently" (http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=16602#_ftn1). Alternative Considerations of
Jonestown and Peoples Temple. San Diego, CA: Department of Religious Studies, San
Diego State University. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
87. State of Idaho v. Lon T. Horiuchi [1] (9th Cir. June 5, 2001).Text (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.co
m/data2/circs/9th/9830149p.pdf)
89. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994), Ch. I., §B., pp. 2–6.
90. U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Ruby Ridge: Report (1996), Ch. D. § 4.c., p. 88.
Quoting from the report: "c. Legality of the Second Shot / The Subcommittee believes that the
second shot was inconsistent with the FBI's standard deadly force policy and was unconstitutional. It
was even inconsistent with the special Rules of Engagement. [Footnote 1: Senator Feinstein dissents
...]"
91. Balleck, Barry J. (2014). Allegiance to Liberty: The Changing Face of Patriots, Militias, and
Political Violence in America (https://books.google.com/books?id=E_k7BQAAQBAJ&q=requ
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92. Newton, Michael (2012). The FBI Encyclopedia (https://books.google.com/books?id=74beC
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93. Walter, Jess; Morlin, Bill (August 31, 1992). "Harris gives up; Weavers remain" (https://news.
google.com/newspapers?id=JnUzAAAAIBAJ&pg=5938%2C8470384). Spokesman-
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94. Ashton, Linda (August 31, 1992). "End to siege drawing near" (https://news.google.com/new
spapers?id=p-4qAAAAIBAJ&pg=5928%2C99701). Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-
96. Bock, Alan W. (1998) [1995]. Ambush at Ruby Ridge: How Government Agents Set Randy
Weaver Up and Took His Family Down (https://archive.org/details/ambushatrubyridg00boc
k). Collingdale, PA: Diane Books. ISBN 1880741482.
97. Wiley, John K. (September 1, 1992). "Fugitive's war in court" (https://news.google.com/news
papers?id=db8jAAAAIBAJ&pg=5873%2C230430). Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-
98. Guthrey, Molly (September 2, 1992). "Agents leave Ruby Ridge to residents" (https://news.g
oogle.com/newspapers?id=lVxWAAAAIBAJ&pg=4771%2C1350970). Spokesman-Review.
(Spokane, Washington). p. B1.
99. Neiwert, David A. (1999). In God's Country: The Patriot Movement and the Pacific Northwest
(https://archive.org/details/ingodscountrypat00neiw). Pullman: Washington State University
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100. Wiley, John K. (September 1, 1992). "Weaver comes down from the mountain" (https://news.
google.com/newspapers?id=6ZhfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3635%2C3827). Lewiston Morning
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101. Miller, Dean (September 2, 1992). "Weaver says federal agents killed wife in retaliation" (htt
ps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lVxWAAAAIBAJ&pg=2825%2C1353013).
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102. Kreller, Kathleen (June 15, 1993). "Jury ready to deliberate in Weaver murder trial" (https://n
ews.google.com/newspapers?id=xAwkAAAAIBAJ&pg=5397%2C1481233). Moscow-
Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). Associated Press. p. 1A.
103. Walter, Jess (April 14, 1993). "Authorities gear up for trial" (https://news.google.com/newspa
pers?id=FV9WAAAAIBAJ&pg=5733%2C2512150). Spokesman-Review. (Spokane,
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104. Miller, Dean (April 15, 1993). "Weaver painted as prophet of violence" (https://news.google.c
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105. Miller, Dean (April 17, 1993). "Defense mistrial bid denied" (https://news.google.com/newsp
apers?id=GF9WAAAAIBAJ&pg=6372%2C4652496). Spokesman-Review. (Spokane,
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106. Foster, J. Todd (June 15, 1993). "Stage set for final arguments" (https://news.google.com/ne
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107. "Jury begins deliberations today in Weaver, Harris trial" (https://news.google.com/newspape
rs?id=cqRfAAAAIBAJ&pg=4085%2C132156). Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho).
Associated Press. June 16, 1993. p. 4C.
108. Foster, J. Todd (June 16, 1993). "Weaver's, Harris' fate rests with jury" (https://news.google.c
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109. Jones, Stephen; Israel, Peter (2001). Others Unknown Timothy Mcveigh And The Oklahoma
City Bombing Conspiracy (https://books.google.com/books?id=L6vLZfPi2t8C&q=Gerry+Spe
nce+without+calling+witnesses+ruby&pg=PA331). PublicAffairs. p. 331. ISBN 1586480987.
110. Kreller, Kathleen (July 8, 1993). "Weaver cleared in slaying" (https://news.google.com/news
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111. Kreller, Kathleen (July 9, 1993). "Jurors examined every scrap" (https://news.google.com/ne
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112. Miller, Dean; Walter, Jess (October 19, 1993). "Weaver gets 18-month term" (https://news.go
ogle.com/newspapers?id=qAIkAAAAIBAJ&pg=5555%2C5989271). Spokesman-Review.
113. Kreller, Kathleen (October 19, 1993). "Weaver sentenced to 18 months" (https://news.googl
e.com/newspapers?id=h04tAAAAIBAJ&pg=5721%2C1624374). Moscow-Pullman Daily
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114. Miller, Dean (December 18, 1993). "Weaver goes free" (https://news.google.com/newspaper
s?id=_m0fAAAAIBAJ&pg=3317%2C6968126). Spokesman-Review. (Spokane,
Washington). p. A1.
115. Warbis, Mark (December 17, 1993). "Former fugitive Randy Weaver freed after 16 months in
jail" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=0KZCP5UExFUC&dat=19931217&printsec
=frontpage&hl=en). Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). Associated Press.
p. 1A.
116. Mattos, Jenifer (August 22, 1997). "Double Jeopardy at Ruby Ridge?" (http://content.time.co
m/time/nation/article/0,8599,9199,00.html). Time. ISSN 0040-781X (https://www.worldcat.or
g/issn/0040-781X). Retrieved April 29, 2017.
117. Keating, Kevin (August 22, 1997). "Harris surrenders" (https://news.google.com/newspaper
s?id=OM4zAAAAIBAJ&pg=5979%2C959256). Spokesman-Review. (Spokane,
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118. Wiley, John K. (August 22, 1997). "County to prosecute FBI agent, Harris" (https://news.goog
le.com/newspapers?id=r8EjAAAAIBAJ&pg=1751%2C2168339). Moscow-Pullman Daily
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119. Keating, Kevin (August 22, 1997). "Prosecutor steps into the spotlight" (https://news.google.c
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120. Keating, Kevin (October 3, 1997). "Harris charges dropped" (https://news.google.com/newsp
apers?id=rWJWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5846%2C1847991). Spokesman-Review. (Spokane,
Washington). p. A1.
121. "Charges against Kevin Harris dismissed" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ytctAA
AAIBAJ&pg=1629%2C216660). Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington).
Associated Press. October 3, 1997. p. 4A.
122. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994; more complete version), see Bibliography.
123. RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (2006) [1994; OPR legacy, highly redacted version,
PDF series], see Bibliography.
124. "Reno draws criticism at Ruby Ridge hearing" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Nr
VeAAAAIBAJ&pg=3112%2C1058923). Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated
Press. October 20, 1995. p. 2C.
125. U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Ruby Ridge: Report (1996), pp. 1. [Quote:]
"Introduction: In the summer of 1995, the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and
Government Information announced that it would hold public hearings into allegations that several
branches of the Departments of Justice and the Treasury had engaged in serious criminal and
professional misconduct in the investigation, apprehension and prosecution of Randall Weaver and
Kevin Harris at Ruby Ridge, Idaho." See for comparison, the opening of RRTF, Report of the
RRTF to the OPR (1994), appearing in the Bibliography.
126. GAO Staff: Rabkin, Norman J.; Harris, Daniel C.; Hamilton, Geoffrey R.; et al. (March 1996).
Use of Force: ATF Policy, Training and Review Process Are Comparable to DEA's and FBI's
(Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and General
Government, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, [Document]
GAO/GGD-96-17) (http://www.gao.gov/assets/160/155422.pdf) (PDF) (Report). Washington,
DC: United States General Accounting Office [GAO]. p. 33 of 125 pages. Retrieved
February 14, 2017. See also p. 3, "Both Treasury and Justice define 'deadly force' as use of
any force that is likely to cause death or serious physical injury." Note, this report does not
explicitly mention Rudy Ridge.
127. The rulings referred to are Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1, 18 (1985), and Graham v.
Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989). See GAO Staff (March 1996), Use of Force, op. cit.
(immediately preceding citation)
128. "FBI Agent Gets Prison Term for Destroying Ruby Ridge Report" (https://www.latimes.com/ar
chives/la-xpm-1997-oct-11-mn-41736-story.html). Los Angeles Times. October 11, 1997.
129. Labaton, Stephen (August 16, 1995). "Separatist Family Given $3.1 Million from
Government" (https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/16/us/separatist-family-given-3.1-million-fro
m-government.html). The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
130. Ostrow, Ronald J. (August 16, 1995). "U.S. to Pay $3.1 Million for '92 Idaho Shootout" (http://
articles.latimes.com/1995-08-16/news/mn-35756_1_ruby-ridge). Los Angeles Times.
Retrieved February 7, 2017 – via Cato.org. "[Quote:] Court: Settlement in Weaver case
reflects loss of mother, son in Ruby Ridge incident. But wrongdoing is denied."
131. Wiley, John K. (August 22, 1997). "Charges filed in Ruby Ridge shootings" (https://news.goo
gle.com/newspapers?id=d7VeAAAAIBAJ&pg=3944%2C1540657). Lewiston Morning
Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. p. 1A.
132. "Weaver says dismissal's no surprise" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wqteAAAA
IBAJ&pg=4638%2C78577). Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. May 16,
1998. p. 10A.
133. Nieves, Evelyn (June 6, 2001). "F.B.I. Agent Can Be Charged In Idaho Siege, Court Rules"
(https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/06/us/fbi-agent-can-be-charged-in-idaho-siege-court-rule
s.html). The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
134. For the Appeals Court ruling on Horiuchi, see State of Idaho v. Lon T. Horiuchi [2], 98-30149
(https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1430138.html) (9th Cir. June 5, 2001).
Proceedings of December 20, 2000 to June 5, 2001; includes Special Rules of
Engagement, and the dissent by Judge Alex Kozinski.
135. Kravets, David (June 6, 2001). "Court: FBI shooter can be tried in Ruby Ridge slaying" (http
s://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s7VeAAAAIBAJ&pg=2964%2C1431500). Lewiston
Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. p. 1A.
136. Wilson, Mike (June 6, 2001). "Weaver cheers appeals court's ruling" (https://news.google.co
m/newspapers?id=s7VeAAAAIBAJ&pg=3488%2C1494054). Lewiston Morning Tribune.
(Idaho). Associated Press. p. 9A.
137. Drumheller, Susan (November 8, 2000). "Boundary sheriff loses to sergeant" (https://news.g
oogle.com/newspapers?id=pWRWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6863%2C6964700). Spokesman-
138. Clouse, Thomas; Drumheller, Susan (June 15, 2001). "No last shot at Ruby Ridge" (https://n
ews.google.com/newspapers?id=j49XAAAAIBAJ&pg=6059%2C1969588). Spokesman-
139. Geranios, Nicholas K. (June 15, 2001). "Prosecutor will drop charges against sniper" (https://
news.google.com/newspapers?id=vLVeAAAAIBAJ&pg=5938%2C4312395). Lewiston
Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. p. 1A.
140. Verhovek, Sam Howe (June 15, 2001). "F.B.I. Agent To Be Spared Prosecution in Shooting"
(https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE2DA1731F936A25755C0A9679C8
B63). The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
141. Weaver & Weaver, The Federal Siege (1998), see Bibliography.
142. Geranios, Nicholas K. (August 20, 2012). "20 Years After Ruby Ridge, There's Forgiveness"
(http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48725729/ns/us_news/t/years-after-ruby-ridge-theres-forgivene
ss/). NBC News. Associated Press. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
143. "Ruby Ridge Standoff: Randy Weaver has died at the age of 74" (https://www.kulr8.com/new
s/ruby-ridge-standoff-randy-weaver-has-died-at-the-age-of-74/article_2418f130-e385-566e-a
5db-87a110e48e1a.html). KULR-8 Local News. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
144. "Timothy McVeigh Biography.com" (http://www.biography.com/people/timothy-mcveigh-5075
62). The Biography.com website. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
145. "The Siege at Ruby Ridge (TV Movie 1996)" (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117523/). IMDb.
May 19, 1996. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
146. Young, Roger (director), Chetwynd, Lionel (screenwriter) et al. (2007). Standoff at Ruby
Ridge (http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-siege-at-ruby-ridge-v227776). Edgar J. Scherick
Associates, Regan Company, Victor Television Productions (producers). Retrieved
February 7, 2017.
147. Bonine, Richard Pray (1999). Alice in Washington (https://books.google.com/books?id=e5Q
656Z1TwcC&pg=PA85). ISBN 978-1583487488.
148. "Slate Presents: Standoff" (https://slate.com/slate-presents-standoff.html). Slate Magazine.
Retrieved March 19, 2019.
149. "FOX three-part series on Ruby Ridge will include interviews with Daily Times editor" (http
s://www.thedailytimes.com/news/fox-three-part-series-on-ruby-ridge-will-include-interviews-
with-daily-times-editor/article_70864dce-270e-5a16-922f-ff6778fa7b6d.html). The Daily
Times. Blount County, Tennessee. January 9, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
Further reading and viewing
Further sources
Morganthau, Tom; Isikoff, Michael; Cohn, Bob (August 28, 1995). "The Echoes of Ruby
Ridge" (http://www.newsweek.com/echoes-ruby-ridge-182402). Newsweek: 25–28.
Retrieved February 8, 2017.
Witkin, Gordon (September 11, 1995). "The Nightmare of Idaho's Ruby Ridge" (http://connec
tion.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9509127523/nightmare-idahos-ruby-ridge) (print and online
news). U.S. News & World Report. 119 (10): 24. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
Spence, Gerry (1996). From Freedom To Slavery: The Rebirth of Tyranny in America (https://
archive.org/details/fromfreedomtosl000spen). St. Martin's/Griffin. ISBN 978-0312143428.
Coulson, Danny O.; Shannon, Elaine (2001) [1999]. No Heroes: Inside the FBI's Secret
Counter-Terror Force (https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0671020625). New York:
Simon and Schuster/Pocket Books. pp. 398–403, 410, 444, 465–477, 490, 561–564, 580,
590. ISBN 978-0671020620. Retrieved February 12, 2017..
Other books
Brown, Tony D.; Brown, Jackie J. (2000). The First Canary: The Inside Story of Ruby Ridge
and A Decade Of Cover Up. ISBN 0971024804.
Whitcomb, Christopher (2001). Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team.
ISBN 0552147885.
Kessler, Ronald (2002). The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI (https://archive.org/detail
s/bureau00rona). ISBN 0312989776.
Ronson, Jon (2002). Them: Adventures with Extremists. ISBN 0743233212.
Other reports
Anon. (1999). Project Megiddo (http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps3578/www.fbi.gov/librar
y/megiddo/megiddo.pdf) (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice,
Federal Bureau of Investigation. p. 21. Retrieved February 8, 2017. "[Quote:] The attached
analysis, entitled PROJECT MEGIDDO, is an FBI strategic assessment of the potential for
domestic terrorism in the United States undertaken in anticipation of or response to the
arrival of the new millennium."[primary source] Note, the author and date of publication do not
appear on the title page or mast head of the document, but are inferred from other sources.
Other articles
Moore, Martha T. (May 11, 2005). "1985 Bombing in Philadelphia Still Unsettled" (http://usat
oday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-11-philadelphia-bombing_x.htm). USA Today.
Retrieved February 8, 2017. Relates Ruby Ridge to the 1985 MOVE bombing by the
Philadelphia police, causing fire, the deaths of eleven occupants, and destruction of 65
houses in the West Philadelphia neighborhood. See also Sullivan, Laura (May 16, 2005).
"Philadelphia MOVE Bombing Still Haunts Survivors" (https://www.npr.org/templates/story/st
ory.php?storyId=4651126). NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
Other documentaries
Randy Weaver and the Siege at Ruby Ridge have been the focus of numerous documentaries, including:
"Ruby Ridge Investigation", by Nightline 1995, ABC News; ASIN B00005BK47 (https://www.

amazon.com/dp/B00005BK47)
Atrocities at Ruby Ridge: the Randy Weaver Story, Produced by KPOC-TV 1995; VHS tape
distributed by The FOREND Times, Inc.
"American Standoff (http://www.retroreport.org/video/ruby-ridge-american-standoff/)," Retro
Report / New York Times, October 26, 2014.
A&E Network American Justice series, episode 047 – "Deadly Force": A look at
controversial law enforcement policy. Features the police bombing of the MOVE
headquarters in Philadelphia, which killed 11, and the shootings of Randy Weaver's wife
and son at Ruby Ridge. Bill Kurtis hosts.
PBS American Experience: "Ruby Ridge", episode S29E07, February 14, 2017. (This
episode is also available on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/title/80172000) Archived (https://
web.archive.org/web/20190417132459/https://www.netflix.com/title/80172000) April 17,
2019, at the Wayback Machine.)
Season 1, Episode 1: "The Legend of Ruby Ridge" of the documentary series Secret Rulers
of the World. – April 2001
External links
G. Spence, From Freedom to Slavery, excerpts from Chapter 2, about the trial of Randy
Weaver (http://www.ruby-ridge.com/gspence.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/202
10211162037/http://www.ruby-ridge.com/gspence.htm) February 11, 2021, at the Wayback
Machine, (Spence was his defense attorney)
Famous Trials: R. Weaver (https://web.archive.org/web/20100929191403/http://www.law.um
kc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/weaver/weaverhome.html), U Missouri-Kansas City Law
CBS News August 10, 2001, "New Ruby Ridge Probe" (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/20
01/08/10/national/main305873.shtml)
CBS News 60 Mins, May 11, 2001, with T. McVeigh (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/0
3/13/national/main171231.shtml)
CBS News November 25, 2002, "FBI Whistleblower Harassed" (http://www.cbsnews.com/st
ories/2002/11/25/60minutes/main530750.shtml)
"Idaho vs Randy Weaver" (2006) (https://web.archive.org/web/20060516210518/http://www.
crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/cops_others/randy_weaver/19.html), CourtTV Crime
Library
Ruby Ridge (http://www.apfn.org/apfn/rubyridge.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2
0130823023617/http://www.apfn.org/apfn/rubyridge.htm) August 23, 2013, at the Wayback
Machine, American Patriot Friends Network
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Ruby Ridge

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Ruby Ridge

Ruby Ridge was the site of an eleven-day siege in

In the subsequent siege, Weaver's wife Vicki was killed

Law enforcement's response at Ruby Ridge, and its

U.S. Marshals Service involvement

Threat source profile

Rivera helicopter incident

Encounter near Weaver's cabin

It was concluded there was no indication he intended to kill or injure Weaver.[56][57][58]

Siege and controversy

Special ROE and sniper/observer deployment

(From the sworn statement of FBI SAC Eugene Glenn).[74]

As noted in a footnote to the report in this crucial section:

Deployment of sniper/observers, ROE understanding

Sniper shoots: R. Weaver is wounded, V. Weaver is killed

Constitutionality of the second shot

Situational reevaluation, ROE is suspended, the siege ends

1. Charge against Weaver is Bull S___.

Trials of Weaver and Harris

Federal investigations of law enforcement

State criminal charges

Later life of the Weavers

Randy Weaver died on May 11, 2022, at the age of 74.[143]

In 2020, the incident was featured in a season of Fox Nation's Scandalous.[149]

2003 standoff in Abbeville, South Carolina

Chapters and sections cited from this work include:

I. Introduction / Executive Summary

§B. Significant Findings.

IV. Specific Issues Investigated

VI. Chronology of Events (passim).

Chapters and sections cited from this work include:

§ 5. August 21, 1992 Firefight (subsections a.–c.)

D. Federal Bureau of Investigation

§ 4. Two Shots Taken by Sniper/Observer on August 22, 1992 (subsection

References and notes

Further reading and viewing

"Ruby Ridge Investigation", by Nightline 1995, ABC News; ASIN B00005BK47 (https://www.

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