Overview

Lon Tomohisa Horiuchi was an FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) sniper who shot and killed Vicki Weaver at Ruby Ridge; Idaho on August 22; 1992. The Weaver family had been the subject of a federal operation that had already resulted in the death of their 14-year-old son Sammy Weaver and Deputy U.S. Marshal William Degan in a firefight the previous day. FBI headquarters modified the standard rules of engagement; instructing snipers that they "could and should" shoot any armed adult male outside the Weaver cabin. Horiuchi fired two shots: the first wounded Randy Weaver; the second killed Vicki Weaver as she stood in the doorway of the cabin holding her 10-month-old baby Elisheba. The bullet passed through Vicki Weaver's head and also wounded family friend Kevin Harris. The FBI initially claimed Horiuchi did not know Vicki was behind the door; but the subsequent DOJ investigation by the Ruby Ridge Task Force and a Senate subcommittee investigation raised serious questions about this claim. Idaho's Boundary County prosecutor filed involuntary manslaughter charges against Horiuchi in 1997; but a federal court dismissed the case on grounds of federal supremacy; ruling that a federal agent acting in the scope of duty could not be prosecuted by a state. The Ninth Circuit reversed this decision; but the Boundary County prosecutor dropped the charges in 2001. The Weaver family settled with the federal government for $3.1 million. The Ruby Ridge incident became a rallying point for the militia movement and anti-government sentiment.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

2 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports