On August 11th, 1992, the infamous Ruby Ridge standoff between the FBI and self-proclaimed white separatist Randy Weaver officially came to an end. The standoff lasted 11 days after Weaver refused to appear in court when he was charged with the possession and sale of illegal firearms. The standoff and its tragic results live in infamy today.

Randall Weaver was a United States Army veteran who enlisted at the height of the Vietnam War. After being discharged, he moved with his wife to a remote area in Idaho in the 1980s, hoping their location would be critical to their survival in their believed impending apocalypse. He found himself in trouble with the FBI when he was caught selling and promising future sales of illegal shotguns. During an investigation of the crimes, Weaver moved his family to a remote rental home in Ruby Ridge. It was there that the infamous standoff began. 

On August 21st, 1992, the deputies arrived at the Ruby Ridge rental home to arrest Weaver. Weaver refused to surrender and remained in his home with his wife, four children, and a family friend. The FBI was then involved, and a siege of the property began. Within the first two days of the blockade, Weaver’s wife was shot and killed while holding her 10-month-old baby, Weaver’s 14-year-old son was shot and killed, and U.S. Marshal William Degan also lost his life. 

A civilian negotiator ultimately resolved the siege and standoff, and Weaver and his three remaining children surrendered on August 31st, 1992. Though Weaver was charged with multiple counts for the standoff at Ruby Ridge, his attorney successfully argued that his actions were in self-defense. He was only found guilty of “failure to appear” in court for his charge of having illegal firearms. He served 18 months in prison and was fined $10,000. The United States government avoided a lawsuit by the Weaver family by awarding each of the surviving Weaver children $1 million each.