YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — The fatal gunfire exchange in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) on July 4 was the culmination of an hours-long manhunt, according to a joint statement from YNP and the National Park Service (NPS) that laid out a timeline of that morning’s events.
The park’s 911 dispatch sent out an alert just after midnight on the morning of July 4 warning that the suspect, later identified at Samson Fussner, 28, of Florida, had been holding a woman against her will in Canyon Village, the press release said. The woman reported that Fussner had threatened to kill her and others and to commit a mass shooting at Fourth of July events outside the park.
In the “be on the lookout” (BOLO) call, the dispatcher also reported that Fussner had threatened “suicide by cops.”
Law enforcement arrived on scene in the Canyon area to find Fussner’s vehicle empty and the suspect at large.
“By the early hours of July 4, over 20 NPS law enforcement rangers, including the park’s special response team, were working to protect people and locate Fussner,” the statement said.
At about 8 a.m., the rangers came across Fussner outside of Canyon Lodge walking towards the service entrance of the building, which contains public and employee dining rooms, while firing a semi-automatic rifle. The park estimates that about 200 people were inside the building at the time.
NPS rangers engaged Fussner in an exchange of gunfire that culminated in his being shot. Fussner died on the scene. One law enforcement officer was injured and was transported to an area hospital in stable condition, before eventually being released.
Fussner was an employee of Xanterra, which operates lodging and concessions for YNP.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation into the incident, including into the actions of the NPS law enforcement rangers. The findings will be reviewed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming.
