
- Details
- By Darren Thompson
On Saturday, July 23, two Lakota men were fatally shot after attending the Oceti Sakowin Fest 2022 in Eagle Butte on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.
According to multiple sources, Trayden Wells and Miles “Avery” Phillips, both Mniconjou Lakota (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), were shot and killed after the outdoor event, which was organized by the International Indigenous Youth Council—Oglala Chapter.
Eleanor Ferguson, an organizer for the youth council, told Native News Online she witnessed a physical altercation between several people after Shayden Williams, 19, was confronted near the concert stage by Phillips.
Ferguson said hundreds of people attended the event, which was promoted as a concert.
Wells was scheduled to perform as a headliner for the event as part of a local group called the Visualantes. The group is based in Rapid City, according to their Soundcloud profile.
According to various news reports, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe police are investigating and have not released any information to the public, beyond that a suspect is in custody and two people were killed.
The FBI did not respond to inquiries made by Native News Online via email, as of press time.
On Tuesday, July 26, a healing ceremony and candlelight vigil was held in Eagle Butte in remembrance of Wells and Phillips.
This is a developing story.
More Stories Like This
WATCH: Native Bidaské with Podcast Co-hosts Crystal Hernandez and Shauna HumphreysUP CLOSE: With Chuck Sams, First Native American to Lead the National Park Service
Native News Weekly (March 19, 2023): D.C. Briefs
Head Coach Kelvin Sampson (Lumbee) Leads Houston Cougars to NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16
Learn Why the Choctaw Nation and Ireland Maintain Kindred Spirits
12 years of Native News
This month, we celebrate our 12th year of delivering Native News to readers throughout Indian Country and beyond. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation this month to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and to tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.