Law Enforcement Response Hailed after Mass Shooting Threat at Yellowstone
Law enforcement is being hailed for its response to the report of a man wielding a semi-automatic rifle in Yellowstone National Park in the early hours of July 4, 2024.
The National Park Service says the suspect planned to carry out a mass shooting in the park before he was confronted and shot by law enforcement.
"Thanks to the heroic actions of our law enforcement rangers, many lives were saved here last Thursday," said Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly. "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.”
Case Details
According to an agency press release, 28-year-old Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner briefly held a woman against her will and threatened to kill her and others.
Fussner then took off, sending law enforcement officers looking for him throughout the early hours of July 4. Other law enforcement officers were deployed to protect park visitors with the armed and dangerous suspect on the loose.
Law enforcement encountered Fussner around 8am near Canyon Lodge, which houses employee and public dining rooms and was crowded for breakfast on the holiday. According to the report, Fussner walked toward the building’s service entrance while firing a semi-automatic rifle.
That’s when law enforcement rangers engaged Fussner, who was shot and killed at the scene. One law enforcement ranger was injured and taken to a hospital before being released.
Fussner, a Milton, Florida resident, had been at Yellowstone as an employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a private business that operates lodges and restaurants in Yellowstone.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is leading the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is reviewing the case as well.
Under NPS policy, law enforcement rangers involved in the shooting are placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation. NPS will release available body camera footage of the incident within 30 days.