Publisher's Synopsis
This unique publication presents official reports about the 1992 Ruby Ridge siege. Contents: Ruby Ridge: Report Of The Subcommittee On Terrorism, Technology And Government Information Of The Senate Committee On The Judiciary * U.S. Department Of Justice Report Of The Ruby Ridge Task Force To The Office Of Professional Responsibility Of Investigation Of Allegations Of Improper Governmental Conduct In The Investigation, Apprehension And Prosecution Of Randall C. Weaver And Kevin L. Harris * Legal Aspects of Domestic Employment of the Army * A Review of Allegations of a Double Standard of Discipline at the FBI * Review of the Critical Incident Response Plans of the United States Attorneys' Offices * Senate Judiciary Committee Testimony: Randy Weaver and Others In 1986, a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ("ATF") met Randy Weaver at an Aryan Nations Congress and initiated a relationship with him. Weaver ultimately sold two illegally "sawed off" shotguns to that informant in 1989. ATF attempted to persuade Weaver to act as an informant within the white supremacist Aryan Nations, but he refused. The United States Attorneys' Office ("USAO") for the District of Idaho then indicted Weaver. Weaver was subsequently arrested and, following his arraignment, released on bond pending trial. When Weaver failed to appear for trial on the weapons charge, a bench warrant and later a grand jury indictment were issued. The United States Marshals Service ("USMS") then launched a seventeen-month investigation and surveillance program designed to facilitate Weaver's arrest on the weapons sale and for his failure to appear for trial. On August 21, 1992, during a USMS surveillance mission to the Weaver property, a firefight broke out between several deputy Marshals and Kevin Harris, a friend of Randy Weaver, and Randy Weaver's 14-year-old son, Sammy. When it was over, Deputy United States Marshal William Degan and 14-year-old Sammy Weaver were dead. The USMS sought emergency assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), which immediately mobilized its elite Hostage Rescue Team ("HRT") and transported them to Ruby Ridge. A week-long siege of the Weaver family ensued, involving hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement officials. On the first day of that siege, an HRT sniper fired two shots: the first hit Randy Weaver; the second killed Randy Weaver's wife, Vicki, and injured Kevin Harris. One week later, the Weavers finally surrendered. Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris ultimately were tried on numerous charges ranging from conspiracy to murder. They were acquitted on all the major counts, including the original firearms charge. Randy Weaver was convicted for his failure to appear at trial and for committing an offense (carrying firearms) while on pretrial release.
