BURNS, Ore., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The FBI says its surveillance video of the shooting death of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum shows the Oregon protester spokesman reaching for his waist twice before being shot by an officer.
Finicum, 56, was shot and killed on Tuesday after engaging in a standoff with Oregon police as they arrested leader Ammon Bundy and four others.
The men were involved in a three-week occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
FBI helicopters captured graphic footage appearing to show the shooting of Finicum. The unedited video was uploaded to the FBI's YouTube channel to clarify "inflammatory" statements regarding the events that led to the shooting.
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Supporters of the occupation were outraged by the shooting of Finicum, a rancher from Arizona and spokesperson for the protestors. They believed he was shot with his hands up and used his death as a rallying call against the FBI.
"I want to caution you that the video does show the shooting death of LaVoy Finicum," Greg Bretzing, an FBI special agent, said in a statement. "We realize that viewing that piece of the video will be upsetting to some people, but we feel that it is necessary to show the whole thing unedited in the interest of transparency."
The video shows Oregon police pursuing two vehicles including a Jeep and a white pickup truck driven by Finicum en route to a community meeting.
Police pulled over the two vehicles as Bundy and two others exited the Jeep while Finicum and three others remained in the pickup truck.
The truck then sped off following the arrest of Ryan Payne, another occupation leader, as officers pursued and fired at the vehicle before it crashed into a snowbank in an attempt to get around a police blockade. The truck nearly struck an officer standing by the road.
Finicum exited the vehicle with his hands raised and appears to reach twice for his left jacket pocket, which Bretzing said contained a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
Police then shot Finicum causing him to fall backward and raise his arm before laying still.
"Actions have consequences," Bretzing said, as quoted by The Oregonian. "As the video clearly shows, it was a reckless action that resulted in the consequences you have seen here today."
Bretzing said the number of shots fired at Finicum remained in single digits, but would not say if Finicum had pulled the gun from his pocket or not.
"We did everything we could to bring this to a peaceful resolution," Bretzing said.
Police apprehended the three men who remained in the pickup truck, which also contained two loaded .223-caliber semi-automatic rifles and a .38 special revolver. They also provided Finicum with medical attention about 10 minutes after the shooting.
Four holdouts remain at the bird sanctuary following three more arrests on Thursday.
