Hundreds gather in Kanab, from across U.S., for Finicum funeral
KANAB, Utah (AP) Soft music played as hundreds of people from across the country crowded into a Mormon church in a small Utah town for the funeral of the spokesman for the Oregon armed standoff.
"Today is to honor my dad and remember his life," said Robert "LaVoy" Finicum's daughter, Brittney Beck.
Pictures of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum and his family were displayed at the church's entrance Friday, along with a saddle and a painting of a cowboy next to his horse.
Mourners filled the main pews, gymnasium and several overflow rooms in Kanab, near the Arizona line. Others stood against the walls. Some small children held American flags in their hands.
"He was fun. He was a trickster. He loved God. He loved his family, and he loved liberty," said Beck.
Police shot and killed the Arizona rancher during a Jan. 26 traffic stop after they say he reached for a gun. His supporters called it an ambush.
Police shot and killed Arizona rancher Robert "LaVoy" Finicum during a Jan. 26 traffic stop after they say he reached for a gun. His supporters called it an ambush.
"I see my dad running away from his car -- in my own interpretation -- to protect the women that are in there and I see his hands in the air, I see deadly force used," said Beck.
At a viewing Friday prior to Finicum's funeral, pickup trucks flying American flags filled the church parking lot in Kanab, Utah. One truck had a flyer with a picture of Finicum and the words, "Murdered by the FBI." On another vehicle, someone had written a favorite saying of the rancher's: "By dang, I'm mad."
Ben Matthews, of Port Huron, Michigan, says he went to Oregon during the occupation and called Finicum "a hero to me."
His daughter Brittney said, "I'm proud of my dad for standing up for what he believed in."
Colorado resident Dallas Ahrens said Finicum was just "glowing with energy."
A judge has allowed the only woman arrested in the armed standoff at an Oregon wildlife refuge to attend the funeral for an Arizona rancher shot and killed by police during a traffic stop.
Shawna Cox was a passenger in the truck Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was driving Jan. 26. She has been charged with felony conspiracy but is free until trial with some restrictions.
She asked for permission to attend Finicum's funeral Friday in her hometown of Kanab, Utah. She was initially rejected, but Judge Anna Brown granted her request.
Brown warned Cox by telephone not to give public comments or discuss the standoff.
Prosecutor Geoff Barrow had argued that funerals are emotional and Cox's presence could exacerbate a volatile situation. He says Cox has publicly stated that federal agents murdered Finicum.
Duane Ehmer must limit his travel and wear an electronic ankle bracelet to ensure he appears at future court dates. He's one of only two defendants from Oregon and among three people granted release ahead of trial.
The Oregonian newspaper reports that U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart determined Thursday that Ehmer wasn't a flight risk and appeared to have joined rather than incited the standoff. It began Jan. 2 and continues Friday with four holdouts.
Another judge upheld a decision to keep occupier Pete Santilli behind bars pending trial. U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman says Santilli has made threatening statements about federal agents on his online radio program that can't be completely dismissed as shock-jock bravado.
