Agents’ levity in Bundy stando≠ belied fears of death

Prosecutors trying the case against six of rancher Cliven Bundy’s supporters played hours of video footage this week that gave the public a peek into the minds of federal law enforcement officers as the 2014 confrontation with armed protesters unfolded in Bunkerville.

When Bureau of Land Management agent Mark Brunk testified early in the week, prosecutors played dash cam footage that recorded him uttering an expletive followed by, “You come find me, and you’re going to have hell to pay.”

Another agent laughed and replied, “Pretty much a shoot first, ask questions later kind of thing.”

The statements were made after a crowd of hundreds of cowboys and supporters arrived at Toquop Wash, a sandy ditch that served as the headquarters for the court-ordered cattle roundup that sparked the protests. The protesters had traveled five miles by horse and by car from a morning rally where Bundy, upon learning that the government was ceasing its operation, ordered sup- porters to go get his cows.

The conversations among law enforcement grew more serious as officers scanned the crowd for guns, and the footage captured their frantic conversations. First they didn’t notice any long guns. Then they saw two. Then at least five. Then 10.

“If we get any more guns, we’re going to be outgunned,” a law enforcement officer remarked at one point.

The footage captured expressions of fear and humor, and some of the