Hours before a shooter attacked a Yellowstone National Park employee dining hall, authorities were warned about the gunman’s intentions, leading to the unfortunate July 4 incident where one ranger was injured. The shooter, identified as 28-year-old Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner of Milton, Florida, was taken down by rangers after opening fire with a semiautomatic rifle at Canyon Village.
Footage from park rangers’ body-worn cameras captured the chaotic scene during and after the shootout. One video shows a ranger firing at Fussner from inside a building, while another shows a ranger approaching the wounded shooter as he lay motionless on the ground. Fussner was also armed with a semiautomatic pistol during the attack.
Despite the shooter’s plans for a mass shooting at the dining hall, only one ranger was physically injured in the confrontation. The wounded ranger received treatment at a hospital and was released within a few days. Authorities have not disclosed the identities of the involved rangers, and the incident remains under investigation by the FBI.
Following the shooting, Canyon Lodge was closed for several days, affecting the operations of Yellowstone’s main tourism concessionaire, Xanterra Parks and Resorts, where Fussner was employed for the summer season. The shooter had previously held a concessionaire worker against her will with a gun and knife before the July 4 shooting.
The FBI is continuing its investigation into the incident, and not all related materials have been made public yet. Despite Yellowstone’s reputation for wildlife mishaps and natural hazards, shootings in the park are uncommon, especially amid the millions of visitors it receives annually.
