Authorities warned that gunman was planning to attack Yellowstone facility

Hours earlier a gunman opened occurrence astatine an entranceway to a Yellowstone National Park employee eating hall, injuring 1 ranger, authorities had been warned he planned to transportation retired a wide shooting astatine nan facility, officials said Thursday.

The revelation came arsenic authorities released videos and different caller specifications astir nan July 4 shooting successful which rangers stationed to protect nan installation astatine Canyon Village killed Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, 28, of Milton, Florida, aft he opened occurrence pinch a semiautomatic rifle.

Authorities had been looking for Fussner for hours earlier nan shooting aft a information defender called 911 conscionable aft midnight connected July 4, saying that Fussner had conscionable held a female hostage and told her he was going to onslaught nan worker eating hall.

The videos from parkland rangers' body-worn cameras show a chaotic segment during and correct aft nan shootout successful nan world's first nationalist park, a spot millions of group bask each twelvemonth for its chaotic quality and tranquility. In 1 video, a ranger is seen firing toward Fussner from wrong a conveyance entree doorway successful nan building.

In different video, a different ranger extracurricular nan building approaches nan wounded Fussner arsenic he laic still connected nan ground, dressed successful achromatic and pinch 1 manus raised upward astatine nan elbow. Fussner remains motionless arsenic nan ranger takes his semiautomatic rifle, unclipping it from a strap.

Fussner besides was equipped pinch a semiautomatic pistol, according to parkland officials.

Body-camera footage shows a 3rd ranger moving to nan segment from successful betwixt adjacent worker dormitories, yelling to unseen people: "Get backmost successful your dorms!" As nan ranger runs, a twelve gunshots are heard.

"Stay down! Stay down!" nan ranger shouts to 2 group crouching down nan beforehand instrumentality of an SUV. Authorities blurred retired nan faces of each group successful nan videos, shielding their identities.

As nan ranger approaches nan area of a building, 2 different rangers guidelines pinch rifles pointed and personification yells: "Suspect's down, he's not moving!"

Inside nan backmost entranceway wherever nan gunman attacked, photos showed astatine slightest 18 slug holes successful nan walls. There, nan first ranger to waste and acquisition occurrence pinch Fussner was wounded successful a "lower extremity," according to parkland officials.

Footage shows rangers approaching their wounded workfellow sitting successful a actual stairwell landing.

"You each right?" personification asks.

"Yeah, I'm good," nan ranger responds, flashing a thumbs-up.

Medical workers tried to thief Fussner but a expert pronounced him dead, according to parkland officials.

Besides Fussner, nan ranger was nan only personification physically wounded that time successful an area crowded pinch immoderate 200 parkland concession workers and visitors. The ranger was treated astatine a infirmary and released wrong a fewer days, according to parkland officials.

Park officials person not identified nan rangers progressive successful nan confrontation, including nan 5 astatine nan shooting scene. Of nan five, 4 activated their body-worn video cameras during and soon aft nan gunfire.

National Park Service argumentation requires rangers to activate their cameras whenever they statesman making interaction pinch personification "except erstwhile faced pinch an emergency business requiring contiguous action to sphere life aliases safety," according to a National Park Service communicative accompanying Thursday's edited series of assemblage camera video, a signaling of nan first 911 call, photos and diagrams of nan scene.

The shooting led authorities to adjacent disconnected Canyon Lodge, a analyzable of edifice rooms, cabins and eating facilities, for respective days. The accommodation are tally by Yellowstone's main tourism concessionaire, Xanterra Parks and Resorts, wherever Fussner had been moving for nan summertime season.

Park rangers had been looking for Fussner for hours earlier nan shooting. Late connected July 3, Fussner held different concessionaire worker against her will pinch a weapon and weapon astatine her residence successful Canyon Village.

Early connected July 4, nan female reported that Fussner threatened to termination her and others, including carrying retired a wide shooting astatine Independence Day events extracurricular nan park, parkland officials said successful a connection 5 days aft nan shooting.

On Thursday, nan matter and voiceover communicative added that Fussner told nan female he planned to transportation retired wide shootings astatine nan worker eating room arsenic good arsenic July 4 events extracurricular nan park. Officials person not said whether Fussner had released nan female aliases whether she had escaped.

Yellowstone officials didn't instantly respond to an email Thursday asking why they didn't antecedently disclose that Fussner told nan female he planned a wide shooting astatine nan eating room.

The incident remains nether investigation by nan FBI and authorities person not yet cleared rangers of wrongdoing successful nan confrontation. Not each materials related to nan confrontation person been released.

The FBI did not instantly respond Thursday if anyone too parkland rangers witnessed nan shooting.

After receiving a 911 telephone conscionable aft midnight connected July 4 that Fussner had taken nan female hostage, rangers recovered Fussner's conveyance but not him. Inside, they recovered a handgun.

The consequent overnight hunt for Fussner progressive much than 20 rule enforcement rangers, including a parkland typical consequence team. Around 8 a.m. nan adjacent morning, Fussner approached nan eating installation work entranceway and opened fire.

Fussner's Facebook page suggested he was proud astir landing a concession occupation successful Yellowstone, a typically seasonal gig that often involves cooking and serving nutrient to nan park's 3 cardinal summertime visitors. Such jobs usually spell to somewhat younger group successful their early 20s; often they are assemblage students visiting from different countries.

Fussner posted a photograph of his Xanterra Parks and Resorts badge and photos of him successful snowy Yellowstone scenes from mid-May. The posts did not hint astatine anger aliases different motivation.

Yellowstone often draws headlines for sometimes deadly mishaps involving wildlife and nan park's celebrated basking springs. But shootings - contempt nan park's millions of visitors and precocious complaint of weapon ownership successful nan region - are rare.

In:
• Shooting
• Yellowstone National Park