One person died and a Yellowstone National Park ranger was wounded on Independence Day, a popular time for visitors, at Canyon Village. Photo courtesy of U.S. Parks Service.
July 4 (UPI) — A gunman died and a Yellowstone National Park ranger was wounded on Independence Day, a popular time for visitors, at Canyon Village, the National Park Service said.
The incident began Wednesday night and lasted into the morning at Canyon Village, which is south of Tower Falls in the central part of the park in Wyoming, according to a press release from NPS.
There no longer are active threats to the public but an area around the Canyon Lodge complex remains closed as part of the investigation, the agency said.
Rangers responded to a report of a person with a firearm making threats at Canyon Village.
They exchanged gunfire with the individual, who died. The gunman’s identity has been released.
The ranger, whose name has not been released, is in stable condition and being treated at a hospital.
The FBI is leading the investigation with help from National Park Service special agents.
Yellowstone, with 2,219,791 acres, is located mainly in the northwest cortner of Wyoming and extends into Montana and Idaho.
It was established in 1872 by the U.S. Congress as “a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”