A law enforcement official says the Arizona rancher killed during the arrest of an armed group in Oregon was shot after reaching toward his waistband multiple times.
The official, who had been briefed on the investigation but spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it by name, said Robert "LaVoy" Finicum of Arizona was armed, but did not have an opportunity to shoot.
The Deschutes County Sheriff's department said in a statement that Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy Thursday and confirmed the 54-year-old Finicum's identity. The autopsy results were not released.
Authorities say the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office will be the lead agency on the police shooting investigation.
Group leader Ammon Bundy and seven other main figures in the takeover were arrested earlier in the week, most of them in the traffic stop Tuesday night that erupted in gunfire.
Bundy's group seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon on Jan. 2 to protest federal land use policies.
