Man fatally shot at Yellowstone National Park threatened mass shooting, authorities say

The man who was fatally shot after an exchange of gunfire with rangers at Yellowstone National Park last week had held a woman against her will and threatened to carry out a mass shooting outside the park, authorities said.

The suspect was identified Monday as Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, 28, of Milton, Florida, according to the Park County Sheriff's Office. Fussner died after an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement rangers, the National Park Service said in a news release Tuesday.

Yellowstone's 911 dispatch center received a call just after midnight on the Fourth of July reporting that a woman had been held against her will by an armed man in a residence at the popular Canyon Village area, which offers lodges, cabins, and camping, according to the National Park Service. The woman told authorities that "Fussner threatened to kill her and others, including plans to allegedly carry out a mass shooting(s) at July 4th events outside the park," the agency added.

Yellowstone National Park law enforcement rangers later confronted Fussner, who was shooting a semi-automatic rifle toward a dining facility at Canyon Village, the National Park Service said. Fussner then died after an "armed altercation with at least one Park Ranger," according to the Park County Sheriff's Office.

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Park County coroner Cody Gortmaker confirmed to USA TODAY on Tuesday that Fussner's cause of death was gunshot wounds.

The investigation is being led by the FBI and will be reviewed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming, according to the National Park Service.

"Thanks to the heroic actions of our law enforcement rangers, many lives were saved here last Thursday," Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a statement Tuesday. "These rangers immediately confronted this shooter and took decisive action to ensure he was no longer a threat to public safety. We are working now to provide maximum support to those involved and their families."

Preliminary investigation revealed suspect was 'likely armed and dangerous'

After the 911 report, responding rangers found Fussner's vehicle unoccupied in the Canyon Village area and determined that the suspect was "likely armed and dangerous," according to the National Park Service.

A recording of the BOLO announcement sent by the Yellowstone communications center said the suspect had "threatened suicide by cop" and "threatened to shoot up a fireworks show somewhere in west Yellowstone or Montana."

"With the individual at large, law enforcement rangers were strategically deployed to protect areas with park visitors and employees while searching for Fussner, and the park’s 911 dispatch center notified surrounding jurisdictions," the National Park Service said.

The National Park Service said more than 20 rangers, including the park’s special response team, were searching for Fussner and working to protect people by the early hours of that day. At about 8 a.m., rangers posted near Canyon Lodge — a building for employee housing and public dining rooms — located Fussner as he was walking toward the service entrance while firing a semi-automatic rifle.

At the time of the incident, the building was occupied by about 200 people, according to the National Park Service. Several rangers then exchanged gunfire with Fussner, who was shot and died at the scene.

The agency identified Fussner as an employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a private business authorized to operate in Yellowstone.

One ranger was also shot during the incident and transported to an area hospital in stable condition, the National Park Service said. The range has since been released and no other injuries were reported.

Under agency policy, the rangers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation. The National Park Service will also release body-camera footage of the shooting within 30 days, according to the agency.

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY; C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network - Florida