Yellowstone AEAP Grant Project

The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, Division of Victim Services (DVS) is submitting this Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) grant proposal to support the victim response and recovery efforts resulting from the July 4, 2024 shooting at the Canyon Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. DVS is request $750,000.00 to support the primary victims compensation applications as a result of this crime.

Description of the Crime: Yellowstone National Park, located in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho, is the first national park in the United States.  The Yellowstone National Park Protection Act was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872.  The park is known for abundant wildlife, breathtaking scenery, and unique geothermal features, including the Old Faithful geyser.  Yellowstone houses one of the world’s largest petrified forests and boasts over 290 waterfalls.  Yellowstone is an extremely popular travel destination for old and young alike, hosting over 4.5 million visitors in 2023 alone.  As with most National Parks, the July 4th celebration is particularly robust, and includes a farmer’s market, pie on the porch, buffalo chip chuck, parade, rodeo, music in the park, and fireworks.

Canyon Village is located in the mid north-western portion of Yellowstone National Park.  The Village area includes the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River which marks the start of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  The Canyon Village complex includes an educational center with a theater, bookstore, cabins, dining, and general store. 

Around midnight on July 4, 2024, dispatch received a 911 call from a woman that was being held against her will by a man with a gun at Canyon Village.  The woman reported that the suspect threatened to kill her and others as part of a mass shooting event at the planned July 4th events.  Park Rangers were immediately put on high alert and began searching for the suspect who was described as armed and dangerous.  Early in the morning, Rangers located the suspect’s unoccupied vehicle in the Canyon Village area, and the search intensified.

At approximately 8:00 a.m., Rangers located the suspect near the Canyon Lodge.  The Canyon Lodge is a facility which houses guests and employees, and includes public dining areas.  The suspect, later identified as Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner[1], walked through the service entrance of Canyon Lodge, firing a semi-automatic rifle.  Several Park Rangers immediately engaged the suspect.  As a result of the gunfire exchange, the suspect was shot and killed, and one Park Ranger was rushed to a local hospital.  Reports indicate that the Park Ranger was shot in the lower extremity, and was subsequently released. 

Guests staying at the facility reported hearing gunshots from the Canyon Lodge eatery around 8:00 a.m.  Guests were told there was an active shooter in the facility, and to shelter in place.  About an hour after the shooting, guests and employees received an emergency alert that the situation was clear, and that it was safe to leave.  There were approximately 170 guests and employees at the Canyon Lodge during the shooting. There have been 76 identified eligible "primary victims" from this crime.

[1] In keeping with the concept of “No Notoriety”, the name of the suspect will only be mentioned once as a reference and will be mentioned hereafter only as “the suspect” or “shooter”.  Reports indicate that the shooter was an employee of one of the agencies servicing the Canyon Village area.