BURNS, OREGON (Last Updated 1/31/2016 3:46 am)(FCP) – on January 26, 2015 the FBI and Oregon State Police ambushed and murdered Robert "LaVoy" Finicum.  Based upon two personal eye-witness accounts, it is clear that the stories being widely circulated are false (due to laziness, misguided motives, or wickedness) and the truth should interest the friends of liberty, and those who want to know the actual fate of LaVoy and how our government agents acted yesterday. (Update:  1/31/2015 FreeCapitalist.com has now published a new, exclusive interview with a second eyewitness.)

I had just been to the Malheur Refuge to visit and interview LaVoy, Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, and Shawna Cox the day before, and had only left yesterday morning in the very early hours.  I hadn't gone there to be an occupier or to participate, I had gone there to see the truth for myself and to talk with Ryan and Ammon.  Prior to my trip I had observed that news reporters like Julie Turkewitz for the New York Times had just walked right up to the Refuge and encountered with no problems from law enforcement or the occupiers.  So, I wondered whether a Free Capitalist might do the same thing.  I made contact with Ryan Bundy, and at his and Ammon's invitation, I cautiously headed to Oregon.  With a friend I drove through the night (abt. 8 hours) and we arrived in the very early morning hours. Breakfast was being served at the Refuge, and LaVoy was the first person to greet us.  Throughout the day he and Ryan Bundy showed us around, introduced us, and talked about all that was going on.  Without staying the night in Oregon, we left at about 2 AM, not long after my last interview on Periscope.tv with Ammon.   Shawna Cox was the last person I hugged.  The only thing I could think to say when I left was, "Be safe!"

I've already gone on record a few times regarding my thoughts on the protest, on Ammon, and last night I did a Periscope broadcast related to the tragic death of LaVoy, along with the arrest of Ammon and Ryan Bundy, Shawna Cox, and others.  But, as the news has filtered out today, in both the mainstream and the alternative media I have been alarmed at the false accounts, hearsay accounts, and speculation regarding the events of that night.

Since I was not a witness to the arrests or LaVoy's shooting yesterday, I too have spent time scouring the Internet for the latest word and updates.  But, by this morning a disturbing and intolerable pattern had started to emerge and I cannot sit silently.   Here's why - during my visit to meet and interview these men, I not only made contact and got to know them, I was also able to observe the workings and activities at the Refuge.   And - while I was there - I surprisingly observed, what now appears to be the initial portion of sabotage that lead directly to the ambush, arrest, shooting and ultimately - the murder of LaVoy Finicum.

I didn't realize what I was observing at the time.  But, in hindsight it's now clear there were people on the inside, posing as occupiers, but working to help set last night's police action and ambush into place.   Now, after putting the pieces together in my own mind, its clear that not only were these few men's actions a betrayal of trust for the Bundy's, LaVoy and others, but the whole thing is quite clearly - something more sinister.  This is amplified by the false stories that are now circulating - and despicably so through outlets like OregonLive.com.  Make no mistake, based upon the only credible first hand witnesses - LaVoy Finicum was strategically ambushed and murdered - and the factual accounts must be defended and the false narratives resisted by those who love and cherish liberty. (Update: 1/29/2016 - The FBI released video footage from a drone or airplane of the operation culminating in the shooting death of LaVoy - In the coming days intend to publish a follow-up to this essay here on FreeCapitalist.com, with a detailed break-down of that video,