The edited version is 8 minutes 3 seconds. The tape ran for 36:49 according to the FBI time stamp. I did not see Finicum go for a weapon. As I understand it, he was shot several times after falling down onto the snow. No word in the article saying how many times he was shot.
that's interesting if it was 36:49 and yet even the 'unedited' version here is 25 minutes, no?
at any rate, whether he had a weapon on him or not, I believe by all accounts that LaVoy Finicum was a very good and decent, God-fearing man with the best of intentions. He was passionate in his beliefs.
However, whether you have a donut, a pocket full of daiseys or an AK47 under your jacket, if you reach in to your jacket during a confrontation with amped up Israeli-trained cops guess what? you're dead as dirt within seconds.
Only a suicidal maniac or a looney tunes would a act like that in such a situation, sorry. That's my opinion and i'm sticking to it, and guess what? Ive had MANY contentious interactions with evil pig cops, and I'm still alive. and it is going to stay that way.
I get tired of these libertarian types always bashing the cops even when they clearly don't deserve it. their judgment and completely irrational bias is screwed in the head.
In retrospect all the other occupiers are actually lucky that the state police didn't open fire on the vehicle as it approached speeding towards the roadblock.
They all could have been killed. I'm not saying that would be justified, but it could have VERY easily occurred.
This is one of the many comments I've read about LaVoy's supposedly reaching for his gun.
"The treasonous bastards shot him BEFORE he reached into his jacket. He wasn't reaching for a gun (which he wore on his RIGHT side), he was reaching for the excruciatingly painful hole that had just appeared in his left side!"
I agree it's plausible that they shot him with rubber first or gazed and then when he reached for his coat they used that as a pretext to kil. However that bypasses the large point which straitgate made. When you act as an aggressor as la on did, speeding toward an armed blockade, jumping out, etc that for fact is foolish for anyone who values their own life. Succch actions are not lauded by reasonable people.