New details about the shocking July 4th incident at Yellowstone National Park are emerging. While 200 visitors and employees were taking their breakfast at a dining hall in Canyon Village, suspect Samson Fussner headed toward a building entrance, firing a semi-automatic rifle. If law enforcement hadn’t stopped the Yellowstone shooter, the start of a peaceful holiday could have turned into carnage.
Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, 28, of Milton, Florida, was stopped. What started the day before, ended July 4th when he died in a shootout with National Park Service law enforcement rangers.
Yellowstone shooter took hostage, threatened “mass shooting”
Just after midnight July 4, Yellowstone’s 911 dispatch center got an alarming call. A woman told them she’d been held against her will by a man with a gun. It happened in a residence at Canyon Village. She told rangers that Fussner threatened to kill her and others, including plans to allegedly carry out a mass shooting—or shootings—at July 4th events outside the park.
Law enforcement soon found Fussner’s unoccupied car in the Canyon area. An initial thought was that he was likely armed and dangerous. With Samson Fussner’s whereabouts unknown, the Park Service deployed law enforcement rangers to protect areas with park visitors and employees. Others searched for Fussner, while the 911 dispatch center notified area agencies. By the early hours of July 4, more than 20 NPS law enforcement rangers, including the park’s special response team, were working to protect people and locate Fussner.
200 unsuspecting potential victims
Fast forward to 8:00 a.m. on July 4. Law enforcement rangers near Canyon Lodge, the location of both employee and public dining rooms, encountered Fussner. He reportedly walked toward the building’s service entrance firing a semi-automatic rifle as he went.
At the time, approximately 200 people were inside. Several law enforcement rangers engaged Fussner. In an exchange of gunfire, law enforcement shot Fussner.
One ranger took a shot to a lower extremity. Additional rangers with emergency medical training treated the injured law enforcement ranger. They tried to help Fussner, but he died at the scene. The injured ranger was hospitalized in stable condition. He was later released. No one else was hurt.
“Heroic actions”
“Thanks to the heroic actions of our law enforcement rangers, many lives were saved here last Thursday,” said Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly via press release. “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.”
Fussner was an employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a private contractor authorized to operate in Yellowstone.
Support for witnesses and victims of the incident is being provided. The FBI is taking the lead on this case, with support from the NPS, Xanterra, and other partners.
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Thank you pro-active law enforcement – one less total tragedy because of decisive on-scene action!
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 I wonder how the woman held hostage escaped? Did he let her go, or just fail to secure her before he left her? If the former, then I wonder if he wanted to die (as a martyr?)? Clearly he tried to take people out. Rather frightening to contemplate how little would have needed to change in order to have tens of people killed or wounded. 🤔😯:-( I am thankful that the park service took the threat seriously and responded so completely. Thanks for the update! 🙂 Have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
I have relatives who work in law enforcement. Unfortunately “suicide by cop” is not uncommon. Sadly it usually means that many innocent people end up as casualties. Kudos to the park rangers and others who acted quickly and minimized the casualties.
Thank you, Cookie! 🙂 Hmm, … so he very well may have wanted to die? Wow! I am all the more glad that there were so few casualties. Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
A job well trained for, and very well performed thanks to the Park Service Rangers! Only 1 casualty and 1 injury occurred, avoiding what could have been a larger disaster .