By Jackson Hole News&Guide staff
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

JACKSON — Visitor services remain limited at Canyon Village following a fatal exchange of gunfire July 4 in Yellowstone National Park that left a 28-year-old man dead and a park ranger injured.

The 270-site campground and some lodging reopened Monday, according to the website of Xanterra Travel Collection, the private concessionaire that operates the accommodations. 

But Yellowstone officials said it was unknown when the Canyon Visitor Education Center would reopen.

SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN YELLOWSTONE 4TH OF JULY SHOOTOUT –

Yellowstone’s public affairs office is directing the public to an alert on the park’s website. The alert states: “Due to a major law enforcement incident on July 4, there is no food service available at Canyon Village at this time. Other services in the area remain limited. As a reminder, there is no food service or lodging available at the nearby Norris Geyser Basin.”

The alert then links to Xanterra’s website, which was updated Monday evening.

“We are working diligently to bring all our facilities back to normal operations in the Canyon Lodge area,” the update says. “However, given circumstances in the area, we are unable to open all facilities.”

Lodging will be limited over the next few days, but food service will return beginning with dinner this evening at The Eatery. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be available beginning Wednesday. The M66 Lounge will be open this evening, and regularly scheduled tours will resume from Canyon Lodge.

Park visitors have been scrambling since Saturday to find new accommodations during a busy holiday weekend after Xanterra closed Canyon Lodge and Cabins, with more than 500 rooms, and the campground over the weekend. Although the campground reopened Monday, how much lodging is available is not clear. Canyon Village Campground, located less than a mile from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, is one of the most popular campgrounds in the park, according to Xanterra’s website.

Xanterra’s website calls the decision to close temporarily difficult: “We are taking this step out of respect and care for our staff members,” Sunday’s update said. “We know this is an extreme inconvenience, and we are very sorry.”

On Saturday, Park County Coroner Cody Gortmaker identified Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, of Milton, Florida, as the person killed in an exchange of gunfire on the Fourth of July. 

But Gortmaker said few other details are available due to the investigation being led by the FBI with support from National Park Service special agents. Fussner died of injuries sustained during an armed altercation with at least one park ranger Thursday, according to Gortmaker.

A Facebook page for “Lucas Fussner” shows a profile picture of an active Xanterra employee badge with the name “Samson Fussner.” The Park Service and Xanterra have not confirmed publicly whether he was a Xanterra employee.

The last statement from Yellowstone came Thursday when the Park Service reported the incident began overnight in the Canyon area when rangers responded to a report of an armed person making threats. When rangers contacted the person, there was an “exchange of gunfire.” The Park Service reported that one law enforcement ranger was injured but was in stable condition and being treated at a nearby regional hospital. Yellowstone has not given an update on the ranger’s condition.