Two National Park Service rangers who were involved in a fatal shooting at Buffalo National River last summer will not be prosecuted, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.
U.S. Attorney Duane Kees said he found that the evidence in the matter supports the reasonableness of the officer’s use of lethal force in this case.
Jonathan Bolger, 34, of Branson, Missouri, was camping with his girlfriend in the Spring Creek Campground last August 20 when two rangers on night patrol confronted him around 1:30 a.m. The rangers, who have not been identified, told Bolger they were law enforcement officers. They saw that the man was pointing what they believed was a semi-automatic handgun directly at them. The investigation revealed that Bolger was armed with an Umarex XCP air pistol, which appears identical to a two-toned semi-automatic handgun, and does not have any identifying markers to show that it is an air pistol, a Park Service release said Wednesday.
The rangers ordered Bolger to drop the weapon multiple times, but he refused, it added. He continued verbally challenging the rangers and made a sudden threatening move. One of the rangers then shot him three times. The rangers, a civilian, and ambulance personnel from the North Arkansas Regional Medical Center provided lifesaving efforts to Bolger, but were unable to revive him. The Searcy County Coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.
Previously, the Searcy County prosecutor declined to prosecute the case and found that the evidence supports the reasonableness of the officer’s use of lethal force in this case, the Park Service said.
The NPS Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team, a specially trained unit of special agents from around the country, conducted the investigation. The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigative Division and Searcy County Sheriff’s Department provided substantial investigative support at the scene of the incident, and assisted the NPS in the investigation. The rangers were found to have properly followed law and policy in this situation and were justified in their actions.
Comments
Were there any witnesses to corroborate the rangers' account? Anything in the shooting victim's background to suggest he would be non-compliant when confronted by law enforcement?
I suspect that while disoriented from having his walk suddenly interrupted with flashlights in his face and two guys yelling at the same time, "POLICE! DROP THE GUN, DROP THE GUN!" he was gunned down before he could even process what was happening.
"Violent invaders of our country"? In Arkansa?? I've been to many National Parks over the past 30 years, and have yet to meet ANY "invaders" violent or otherwise. Don't bring a fake or real gun to a National Park. Don't wave said gun or point it at National Park police or rangers and you'll do fine. Ignorance and just plain stupidity is your greatest threat in the wildernes, not invaders. If that air gun waving idiot was anywhere else, ie: a city corner, a shopping mall, a coffee shop in the suburbs, he would've been shot by law enforcement as well. You don't wave something that looks like or is a gun at cops stupid! Or maybe you can try it and see if it works for you, at best we won't have to read any more inane comments from someone who can't follow the path of a straight line from point A to point B.