Ruby Ridge Standoff August 1992, Boundary County Idaho It started with a shotgun. Not a bombing or hostage crisis. Two illegally modified shotguns sold to an ATF informant. Former Green Beret Randy Weaver lived with his family in a remote cabin on Ruby Ridge, Idaho. Federal authorities had approached him through an informant to recruit him to provide information on extremist groups. Weaver never became an informant, so the firearms case moved forward instead. Confusion surrounding the appearance date led Weaver to miss court. A bench warrant was issued. What could have remained a relatively routine federal firearms case shifted into something sinister. U.S. Marshals started surveillance operations around the property shortly after. On August 21, 1992, that tension exploded in the woods below the cabin. A reconnaissance team of U.S. Marshals encountered Randy Weaver's son Sammy, family friend Kevin Harris, and the family's dog. Exactly who fired first remains disputed. What is not disputed is the dog, Deputy U.S. Marshal William Degan, and 14 yr old Sammy Weaver were dead. The FBI Hostage Rescue Team arrived the following day. Special rules of engagement were approved that went far beyond normal deadly force standards. FBI sniper Lon Horiuchi fired at Randy Weaver, wounding him. A second shot struck Kevin Harris and then killed Vicki Weaver as she stood in the cabin doorway holding her infant baby. Vicki Weaver was unarmed. The standoff continued for days before negotiators finally convinced the survivors to surrender. When the smoke cleared, investigators began asking questions about the FBI's rules of engagement. Federal investigations identified serious failures in planning, leadership, and judgment. In 1995, the Weaver family received a $3.1 million settlement from the federal government. The original crime involved two illegally modified shotguns (requested for by the ATF). The final tally was a dead federal marshal, a dead fourteen-year-old boy, a dead mother holding her infant daughter, years of investigations, millions in settlements, and another fracture in the public's trust. Sometimes "The Land of the free", teeters between slogan and reality.