{KXLG – South Dakota} U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury convicted Clayton Fire Thunder, 40, of Oglala, SD, of Involuntary Manslaughter and two counts of False Statement. The verdict was reached on January 30, 2025, after a two-day trial in federal court in Rapid City, SD.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of eight years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. A federal grand jury indicted Fire Thunder in May 2024.
The conviction relates to an incident that occurred on September 15, 2022. At approximately 4:00 A.M., Fire Thunder, who was intoxicated, caught a ride to a man’s residence a few miles east of Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Fire Thunder sought to contact a methamphetamine dealer and acquired a firearm with the intention of exchanging it with the dealer.
As Fire Thunder approached the front door of the residence, he heard noises from inside. While outside the residence, Fire Thunder mishandled the firearm, causing it to discharge into the house. He then heard a female screaming and left the scene. The subsequent investigation revealed that the bullet had traveled through the siding of the house and into an adjacent bedroom, where the methamphetamine dealer and a female were present. The bullet struck the female on her left side slightly below her arm, and she later succumbed to her injuries.
During two separate interviews with FBI agents in October 2023 and May 2024, Fire Thunder made false statements about the firearm and his involvement in the incident.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the FBI investigated this case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen.
A presentence investigation has been ordered, and a sentencing date has been set for April 25, 2025. Fire Thunder was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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