FBI agent faces charges of lying about shooting in Oregon standoff

An FBI agent on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he lied to law enforcement officials about his role in the shooting of a man involved in a standoff at an Oregon wildlife refuge last year, The Associated Press reported.

Agent W. Joseph Astarita was indicted on felony charges of lying to his supervisors at the FBI and obstructing justice by misleading Oregon State Police about shooting at Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, a rancher who acted as the spokesman for the armed group that took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Finicum was fatally shot by Oregon State Police in January 2016 during a traffic stop after he got out of the car, put his hands up and reached toward a gun that he had in a jacket pocket.

{mosads}While investigators determined that police were justified in their decision to shoot Finicum, they also found that FBI agents failed to disclose two shots that were fired at Finicum but missed.

The shooting happened in the final weeks of a standoff that lasted more than a month. Dozens of people had taken over the wildlife refuge to protest federal control of land.

Finicum’s wife has said she intends to file a lawsuit against Oregon State Police and the FBI alleging excessive use of force to subdue her husband.