The person who died after being shot by law enforcement rangers in Yellowstone National Park on the Fourth of July had been shooting a semi-automatic rifle toward a dining facility at Canyon Village, the park said Tuesday in a news release.
The deceased shooter was Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, 28, of Florida, according to a news release from the park citing the Park County, Wyoming, coroner.
Fussner, who worked for a private company that operates in the park, died at the scene after being shot by officers who had responded to a 911 call of a possible mass shooting.
Officers tracked down Fussner at the Canyon Lodge occupied by roughly 200 people at the time, the park said. It said more than 20 rangers were on the job.
“Fussner reportedly walked toward the service entrance of the facility while firing a semi-automatic rifle,” the park said.
Several officers engaged Fussner, and during an exchange of gunfire, Fussner was shot by law enforcement rangers, the park said.
A law enforcement ranger who was “shot in a lower extremity” and injured has since been released from the hospital, the park said.
No other physical injuries were reported, according to Yellowstone.
Fussner was an employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a private business that operates in the park.
“We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at Yellowstone National Park on July 4 involving a Xanterra employee,” Xanterra said in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to those who were impacted by this incident.”
Xanterra said it is “working diligently” to bring all facilities back to regular operations in the Canyon Lodge area. It is providing counseling and support to its employees in Yellowstone and cooperating with the FBI and National Park Service investigation.
“The safety and well-being of our employees, guests and the wider community are our top priorities, and we are committed to ensuring a safe environment for everyone,” Xanterra said.
The company said a limited number of rooms and most visitor services opened at Canyon Lodge on Tuesday and remaining lodges were slated to open Wednesday. Regular service is expected to resume for food service.
In the email late Tuesday in response to questions from the Daily Montanan, the park did not address the number of rangers who would be on leave and whether the park would need to bring in other support temporarily as a result.
Consistent with Department of the Interior and NPS policies, the NPS will release available body worn camera footage of the incident within 30 days, the park said in the news release.
“Thanks to the heroic actions of our law enforcement rangers, many lives were saved here last Thursday,” said Superintendent Cam Sholly in a statement from Yellowstone.
“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. We appreciate the support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and many other partners as we continue to manage through the aftermath of this incident.”
The investigation into this incident, including the actions of the National Park Service (NPS) law enforcement rangers, is being led by the FBI and will be reviewed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming, according to the news release.
