50 years ago, an infamous burro incident became a defining moment

• According to his account several days later, on Aug. 9, 1975, Steiger joined his highway patrolman brother-in-law, who received a report of some burros running loose near Paulden.
• Steiger said he went into a pen where 14 burros had been fenced in to check their brands while his brother-in-law ventured to headquarters. Steiger brought a rifle with him.
• Steiger claimed that the burros charged him, so he shot two in self-defense.

Zoom in: The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office investigated the incident but declined to press charges against Steiger.

• Rancher Stan Tanner, who owned the burros, filed a $1 million slander lawsuit against Steiger for disparaging comments the congressman made about him after the shooting. He later filed a $76,200 lawsuit for the shooting of the burros.
• It's unclear whether either suit was resolved before Tanner's 1977 death.
• More than a dozen young people who regularly visited Tanner's ranch protested Steiger's shooting of the animals in front of a downtown Phoenix federal building where he had an office.

Between the lines: The burro incident came at an inopportune time for Steiger. In 1976, he ran for U.S. Senate, and the burros were mentioned frequently on the campaign trail.

• Steiger won the GOP primary but lost the general election to Democrat Dennis DeConcini, who went on to serve three terms in the Senate.

What he said: "I could find a cure for cancer and be remembered as the guy who shot the burros," Steiger said years later.