A man was shot dead by law enforcement and a ranger was injured during a shootout in Yellowstone National Park Thursday morning.
Park rangers responded to calls of a man with a gun making threats in Canyon Village, prompting a confrontation that lasted several hours through the night and into the morning of the 4th of July. After rangers contacted the man there was an exchange of gunfire and the man was killed, park officials said in a statement on the park’s Facebook page.
During the incident, one Yellowstone Park ranger was injured. The ranger was transported to a regional hospital and is in stable condition, officials said. It isn’t stated in the news release how the ranger was injured or the nature or severity of the injuries.
There is no further threat to visitors to the park, officials said.
Canyon Village is a large and popular tourist destination in the center of the park offering camping, restaurants, hotels and cabins. Much of the area around Canyon Village was closed while the investigation continues.
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The name of the man killed has not yet been released and it isn’t clear if the man was visiting the park or an employee.
The FBI is leading the investigation with support from National Park Service special agents.
Details around this incident are under investigation. No additional information is available at this time.
Violent crime is rare in Yellowstone Park. In 1997 in the Frog Rock area six miles east of Mammoth, there was a murder suicide involving and 69-year-old Idaho mother and the shooter, her 48-year-old son. The pair had been on the lam following a check fraud and auto theft scheme, according to the Cowboy State Daily.
In 1985 near Old Faithful, a 22-year-old park employee was beaten to death by a co-worker. In 1978 in the Boiling River area north of Mammoth Hot Springs, a California 17-year-old was shot dead by a man he was traveling with.
