An FBI sharpshooter charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 1992 standoff with white supremacist Randy Weaver will be tried in federal, not state, court.
U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge said Monday the transfer was allowed because Lon Horiuchi was working as a federal agent when he fired the shot that killed Weaver’s wife in their cabin at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, court officials said.
Horiuchi was charged with involuntary manslaughter by the prosecutor’s office in Boundary County.
The August 1992 standoff turned into a rallying cry for right-wing groups that condemned what they saw as federal excesses and held up Weaver as a hero.
Horiuchi was accused of using a gun in a reckless manner by firing through the front door of the Weaver house without first determining whether anyone other than his intended target was behind the door. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
