Leader of Oregon protest arrested, shots fired during standoff

The leader of an armed standoff occupying a federal building in Oregon is in custody after a confrontation that left at least one person dead.

The Associated Press reports Ammon Bundy, whose group of armed followers have occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, since Jan. 2, is in law enforcement custody.

The FBI confirmed the arrest in an press release, stating that Bundy, his brother, Ryan C. Bundy, and three other members of the occupying group were taken into custody along Highway 395 on Tuesday afternoon. Two others were arrested in the town of Burns, Oregon, later in the day. All of those arrested face federal felony charges. The charge, per the FBI release, is “conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation, or threats.”

The FBI release also states that shots were fired during the arrest and that one person died as a result. The FBI has not released the person’s identity, but said that they were the subject of a probable cause arrest.

Bundy and his colleagues were arrested during a traffic stop that closed more than 50 miles of the highway on Tuesday afternoon, according to the AP. They were on their way to a meeting with local residents north of Burns.

The group claimed they were occupying the land to support two local ranchers who had a dispute with the Bureau of Land Management, which runs the refuge.