FBI agent on trial in Finicum shooting case takes witness stand

An FBI agent accused of lying to conceal that he shot twice at the truck of refuge occupation spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum in 2016 strode to the witness stand Tuesday and declared he has never fired his weapon in the line of duty.

After sitting through hours of forensic testimony about bullet angles and camera imaging, jurors appeared significantly more attentive when W. Joseph Astarita, who identified himself as "Joe Astarita'' to the court, was sworn in about 3:50 p.m.

He described his upbringing in New York, education at Hofstra University, his brief professional lacrosse career and his extensive training as an FBI SWAT officer and then the elite Hostage Rescue Team.

Clean-shaven and wearing a gray suit, white shirt and blue-and-pink striped tie, Astarita looked markedly different from when he was manning a roadblock on U.S. 395 in eastern Oregon more than two years ago.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2018/08/fbi_agent_accused_of_lying_to.html