A 28-year-old Florida man killed during a Fourth of July shootout with rangers in Yellowstone National Park has been identified as Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, an employee of Yellowstone contractor Xanterra Travel Collection. Park County Coroner Cody Gortmaker confirmed the suspect’s identity, adding that the incident remains under FBI investigation. Fussner had prominently displayed his Yellowstone Xanterra identification on his Facebook profile, confirming his employment with the park management contractor through September 15, 2024.
According to their website, Xanterra Travel Collection is a management company that operates tourist services and lodges at “America’s most iconic National Parks.”
An autopsy conducted Friday revealed that Fussner died from gunshot injuries inflicted by at least one park ranger. The incident, which started overnight Wednesday, began with a person making threats with a firearm in the Canyon Village area, a central-east part of Yellowstone with lodging, food, and a store. The confrontation culminated Thursday morning in a gunfire exchange between at least one park ranger and the suspect. Fussner was killed, and one ranger was injured and taken to medical care.
Campers in the area are openly discussing the incident, but park workers maintain a wall of silence, especially after attending an early-afternoon employee briefing on Friday. Photos from the scene show law enforcement approaching the dormitory housing Xanterra concessionaire workers. A leaked email from Xanterra urged employees to stay silent and direct any media inquiries to the National Park Service, also advising off-duty employees to avoid the Canyon Lodge area.
Despite the email’s claim that no Xanterra employees or guests were injured, the person who leaked the email contradicted this, stating that the man shot was indeed a Xanterra employee. Both Xanterra and Yellowstone’s media offices did not respond to requests for comments.
Park visitors Janet Paulsen and Mike Erickson recounted hearing around 100 gunshots at approximately 8 a.m. Thursday morning, initially mistaking the noises for fireworks or bear-scaring blank rounds. They soon realized the seriousness of the situation when park ranger vehicles rushed into the village. They received a notification on their cellphones about an hour later, informing them that the situation was under control. The couple briefed their children on emergency protocols, underscoring the gravity of the event.
Concessionaire workers and federal agents bustled in the lodge area on Friday, with lodges being short on rooms and staff. Many employees were reluctant to speak about the incident, with some outright refusing or evading conversations. A campground check-in worker and an attendant at a nearby gas station both directed inquiries to the news.
The Yellowstone National Park contract worker, who was killed in the shootout and injured a park ranger, allegedly held a female hostage at gunpoint before his death, according to a recording of a be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) notice. The dispatcher in the recording stated that Fussner had threatened suicide by cop and to shoot up a fireworks show in Montana. He was believed to be armed with a pistol, possibly larger weapons, and a knife. Authorities were alerted to watch for Fussner leaving Yellowstone in a silver Nissan Rogue with Florida plates, but he did not leave the Canyon Village area where the incident began.
The shootout concluded Thursday morning with Fussner’s death and the ranger’s injury, who was reported to be in stable condition as of Thursday afternoon. Campers in Canyon Village reported hearing numerous shots and seeing park rangers respond to the scene. One couple estimated hearing around 100 gunshots, and guests received a cellphone alert shortly after the gunfire ended, indicating that the danger had passed.
This incident has left park workers and visitors on edge, with many seeking answers while grappling with the shock of violence in one of America’s most beloved national parks.
