Hours after law enforcement officials fatally shot a militiaman and arrested eight people, police set up blockades around the Malheur national wildlife refuge

The remaining members of the armed militia occupying a wildlife refuge in rural Oregon were deciding whether to surrender or stand their ground on Wednesday after officials killed one of their spokesmen and arrested the main leaders of the protest on a remote highway.

Hours after news broke on Tuesday night that law enforcement officials had fatally shot militiaman LaVoy Finicum, an Arizona rancher, and arrested leader Ammon Bundy and seven others, police began setting up blockades around the Malheur national wildlife refuge.

By early Wednesday, heavily armed law enforcement officials were blocking access to the refuge, preventing reporters and some Harney County residents from passing through.

Within the wildlife sanctuary, protesters were debating what to do next, according to militia members and supporters in direct communication with the holdouts.

“They arrested all of the leadership,” occupier Corey Lequieu said on Wednesday. “It’s all up in the air.” Lequieu, a Nevada resident who has been at the occupation for weeks, said the protesters who were still at the refuge became increasingly angry and sad as news spread on Tuesday that Finicum had been killed and that the main militia leaders were behind bars.

“There are some pretty pissed off people,” said Lequieu, who said he was at the refuge on Tuesday night but was driving away on Wednesday morning. He declined to say where he was headed or if he planned to return.

Lequieu said the militiamen have not yet decided if they plan to turn themselves in but noted that many are devastated by Finicum’s death, which might motivate their next steps. “It was a setup,” he said of the arrests and fatal shooting. “They were waiting to murder him.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Booking images of Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, and the other members of the militia who were arrested in Oregon. Photograph: Multnomah County Sheriff/ Handout/EPA

On Wednesday, Jerry DeLemus, a 61-year-old New Hampshire activist who previously spent time at the refuge but is now back home, said he talked to several of the militia members who remain at the refuge.

They are debating how to approach the growing number of law enforcement officials surrounding the area, but they do not want to see any more bloodshed, DeLemus said. “They are not looking for a gunfight. They want it to end peacefully.”

Jason Patrick, one of the remaining militiamen, spoke by phone to FBI officials on Tuesday night, according to reporters who were stationed at the refuge. The Oregonian reported that Patrick has become the de facto leader of the militia after the arrest of Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy, Bryan Cavalier, Shawna Cox and Ryan Payne.

In a brief phone interview on Wednesday, Patrick offered few details about his plans, saying the militia wanted law enforcement to explain how Finicum ended up dead.

Patrick added that he was dismayed police decided to confront Bundy and the other occupiers, noting that officials had previously encouraged the protesters to leave the refuge. “They said people could leave, so people left and they were incarcerated.”

Throughout the occupation, officials have insisted that they were taking a cautious approach and that their main priority was to avoid a violent confrontation.

Bundy, Finicum and other high-profile members of the militia had repeatedly exited and returned to the refuge and on Tuesday had publicized a community meeting in John Day, north of the refuge. The occupiers were reportedly on their way to that event when the FBI and Oregon state troopers stopped them, resulting in gunfire.

Outside the refuge on Wednesday morning, Jon Burri, a 43-year-old local construction worker, said he was unable to get to his job due to the blockades. “It’s been terrible,” he said. “I hope they get them out quick. It’s divided our community.”

At a news conference in the nearby town of Burns on Wednesday morning, federal and local officials provided few details about the fatal shooting and urged the remaining occupiers at the refuge to surrender.

“I’m disappointed that the traffic stop yesterday that was supposed to bring a peaceful resolution to this ended badly,” said a visibly emotional Harney County sheriff, Dave Ward, who met Bundy weeks earlier and had offered to escort the militia out of Oregon. “It’s time for everybody in this illegal occupation to move on. There doesn’t have to be bloodshed in our community.”

Ward noted that the occupiers have frequently left the refuge and spent time in Burns – causing a lot of stress among local residents. “This has been tearing our community apart.”

Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge for the FBI, said that the occupiers could leave the wildlife sanctuary through official “checkpoints” where officers would identify them. He said that officials had also invited militia members to call “negotiators” if they had “questions or concerns”.

“The armed occupiers have been given ample opportunities to leave the refuge peacefully,” Bretzing added.

Local residents who showed up to the news conference said they were eager for the standoff to end.

Jim Ward, father of the Harney County sheriff, said that over the past month he and his wife had faced harassment from people associated with the occupation.

“When a bunch of people roll into town with guns and make threats, they are terrorists – just terrorists,” he said.