Yellowstone shooter spewed racist hate ahead of planned July 4 attack: Prosecutors

A Florida man who authorities say planned a mass shooting at Yellowstone National Park over the summer made racist comments before the attack, according to a federal court filing obtained by Paste BN on Wednesday.

The document, filed in U.S. District Court in Wyoming on Friday, named 28-year-old Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner of Milton, Florida, as the sole perpetrator of a hostage situation at the Wyoming park's Canyon Village area on July 3 and July 4, as well as an attempted mass shooting during a fireworks show just a couple miles outside the park in West Yellowstone, Montana.

The document was filed so the government can seek forfeiture of the firearms and assets involved in the crime, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney in the District of Wyoming told Paste BN this week. Fussner, the defendant, is deceased, so prosecutors filed a complaint against assets such as his vehicle found at the scene and the firearms he had.

Around 10 p.m. July 3, Fussner allegedly held a woman he was obsessed with captive for two hours in her room at the Grizzly Dorm in Canyon Village, according to a complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Wyoming.

While there, he made "inflammatory comments about immigrants, African Americans, and Jews, including how they were negatively affecting the country."

The next day, the Park County Sheriff's Office says Fussner was shooting a semi-automatic rifle toward a dining facility at Canyon Village when Yellowstone rangers confronted him. Fussner was killed in the shootout that injured one ranger. Authorities found additional firearms, magazines and ammunition in Fussner's vehicle.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Gross said in the new filing that Fussner had the weapons with the intention of "planning, conducting, or concealing a federal crime of terrorism."

Prosecutors: Suspect had ‘plans for 'pro white nationalist violence'

Fussner was an employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a private business authorized to operate in Yellowstone, according to the National Park Service.

According to prosecutors, Fussner began planning the attack around July 1. He had a history of “expressing white supremacist and anti-semitic views," they wrote in their filing. He was also an active member of the Vanguard News Network, a white supremacist website.

In a March 16 post, Fussner said he was "on the precipice of a breakdown" and that he was depressed, lonely and suffering from mental anguish. He wrote that he wanted to get a seasonal job in a "nice white mountainous area or state park" and meet different white people. 

"If I am still unable to make something of that experience, look forward to someday seeing me in the news,” he wrote.

He also texted his brother about carrying out a mass shooting in an area with fireworks shows because people there would be "easy targets." His brother replied "Yeah maybe. Fireworks allowed in Yellowstone?"

The next day, he texted his brother complaining about Jewish, Asian and Latino people.

July 4 shooter was obsessed with woman he held hostage: Document

The afternoon of July 2, Fussner texted his brother about the woman he later held hostage, noting that he was obsessed with her and the way she looked, the court documents show. 

The next day around 9:40 p.m., he went to her dorm room, where she told him she wasn’t interested in him romantically. He left but returned about 20 minutes later, knocking on her door and forcing his way into her room when she answered. He threatened her with a knife and a handgun, prosecutors say.

While Fussner was holding the victim hostage, he "ranted about his mental health issues, his racist ideations, and his plans to carry out a mass shooting at the employee dining room in Canyon Lodge and the fireworks display at West Yellowstone, Montana," court documents show.

Eventually, the victim’s roommate returned to their room. That’s when Fussner allegedly hid the gun under his arm so the roommate would not see it. Once the roommate went to shower, Fussner told the victim if police came after him he'd come back. He then left, allowing the woman to call security and let them know what he’d done and said about his plans for a mass shooting.

By the next day, Fussner had been killed in a shootout with multiple park rangers, prompting the National Park Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local authorities to investigate. 

Due to agency policy, rangers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave during the investigation. 

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Paste BN

Saleen Martin is a reporter on Paste BN's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.