Man shot by park rangers in Yellowstone National Park allegedly threatened mass shooting

A 28-year-old man who worked for a company in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming allegedly threatened mass murder before he was killed in a shootout with rangers on July 4, officials said Tuesday.

Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner of Milton, Florida, was attacked by Yellowstone Area Police officers early on the morning of July 4 as he allegedly fired a semi-automatic rifle into a canteen in Canyon Village, according to NPS. About 200 people were in the facility at the time, NPS said in an update on the incident Tuesday.

During an exchange of gunfire, Fussner was shot by police officers and died at the scene, NPS said. A ranger was also shot in a lower extremity, NPS said. The injured ranger was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition and has since been released, NPS said. No other injuries were reported.

Fussner was an employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a private company authorized to operate in Yellowstone, according to the NPS. ABC News has reached out to the company for comment.

Police began searching for the suspect after Yellowstone National Park’s emergency dispatch center received a report shortly after midnight on July 4 “that a woman was being held against her will by an armed man in a residence in Canyon Village,” the NPS said in a press release.

“She also reported to law enforcement that Fussner had threatened to kill her and others and that he also allegedly had plans for one or more mass shootings at Fourth of July events outside the park,” the NPS said.

Rangers were “strategically deployed” in the park during the search for Fussner, NPS said. Those stationed near Canyon Lodge — which houses employee and public dining rooms in the center of the park — encountered him around 8 a.m. local time as he “reportedly walked toward the facility’s service entrance while firing a semi-automatic rifle,” NPS said.

The investigation into the incident is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and reviewed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming, the NPS said. The investigation will also look at the shootout involving the rangers, who have been placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation, per NPS policy.

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