The Oregon wildlife refuge occupier shot and killed by a state trooper told a newspaper the day before that he sensed the government was close to taking lethal action against his group.
"They're doing all the things that shows that they want to take some kinetic action against us," Robert "LaVoy" Finicum said in a video interview with The Oregonian.
Federal agents claim Finicum was shot only after he reached for a handgun in his belt after exiting an SUV during a traffic stop. Enhanced aerial video of the shooting does not clearly show what was happening on the ground.
In the video interview, Finicum says he had noticed a "change in the tone and tenor" of the federal agents who were surrounding the refuge where anti-government protesters had camped since early January. "They have become more hardened" and unwilling to talk, he said. Feds increased their manpower and were "stepping out with their rifles" more.
"Why the rattling of the saber?" Finicum asked. "Why be so threatening? Why are you threatening lethal force?"
